How the beach tent sparked a gang war in Australia

For many years, the controversial invader has been gradually taking over Australia's beloved shores.

It swallows up sand, blocks ocean views and turns the beach into an annoying maze, a sea of ​​large beach tents called cabanas in Australia.

Sydneysider Claire, 30, told the BBC: “It's crowded. They're everywhere.”

For her – and for most Australians – cooling off on a sweltering day means a tough trip to the coast, plus an eternity of trying to find a parking space. Now, the cabana madness means there's another battle waiting for them at the beach.

Polyester covers flap in the breeze as far as the eye can see. Some are empty, set up at the crack of dawn, then left for hours on end, until their owners want to actually use them.

“The sheer amount of space people take up… (when) you're just trying to find a square inch of sand to put your towel on, it can be a little frustrating,” says Claire.

She's not alone in her discomfort. Several summers of escalating tension have exploded, in the early days of 2025, into all-out war, sparking debate over Australian culture and beach etiquette.

The debate over the acceptable use of booths has dominated social media, sparked a flurry of opinion pieces and TV spots, and even dragged the prime minister into power.

Self-described haters say entitled cabana crews drain public space and are disrespectful to other beachgoers.

“When you… pollute the beach with your four shacks next to each other, where's Guncle (Gay Uncle) Nic going to go,” Nick Salerno, an anti-cabana activist and TikToker, said on TV talk show The Project.

“I just want my space on the beach, guys.”

But the pro-cabana mob says seeking protection from the blazing Australian sun is not a crime – and every man is responsible for himself.

Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world, and many supporters – including the national charity, the Cancer Council – say this new trend should really be celebrated.

“My partner and I have a cool cabana because we burn very easily and don't want to die of skin cancer by 30. Hope this helps,” one person wrote in response to a TikTok user.

No one is underestimating the importance of sun protection, cabana critics counter, but they say it's just a convenient excuse for many people who use beach tents.

They claim that half the time they're not even sitting under shade covers, and there's no need for two people to pitch a full tent for an hour or two, when sun cream and a hat will do.

Other cabana lovers are more progressive about their motives. Breakfast presenter Davina Smith admitted that for her it was about grabbing the “prime piece of real estate” on crowded beaches.

She's one of the people who set up her cabanas early in the morning to reserve the area for her family later that day.

“There's a lot of research into this,” Smith told Nine's Today programme. “You're up early, you've got to watch the tides. You can't just sit there and walk away… you're investing in it.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the crowd angry at the trend, saying on the same programme: “It doesn't exist.”

“One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, is that you go and pay to go to the beach. Here, everyone owns the beach… and this is a violation of that principle, really.”

Even lifeguards have opinions on this matter, Some told local media that cabana camps can make it difficult for them to do their work.

There are a number of cultural quirks that mean Cabanagate has more Australians to work with Magpie in spring.

First, the country likes to think of itself as an egalitarian society – a land of “justice” – and this extends to the use of one of its most valuable national assets.

“Australian beaches have always been seen as shared spaces, democratic spaces where social hierarchies dissolve… and they are seen as a great equalizer,” says Ece Kaya, a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney.

Australians are “fiercely protective” of this ideal: “They consider it a birthright,” says Chris Pippin-Neff, who studies Australian beach culture.

He points to the backlash that occurred in 1929 when beachgoers at Sydney's Coogee Beach had to pay to access the only part of the water covered by shark nets. More recently, an attempt to lease part of Sydney's famous Bondi Beach to an exclusive beach club was met with outrage.

Dr Bipin Neff adds that although the use of sprawling shacks is a relatively new phenomenon, there has long been “huge class tension” around the use of the country's coastline.

A lack of infrastructure, affordable housing and community attitudes keeps ordinary Australians away from waterfront areas, while those natural assets are often used by those lucky enough to live there.

“There's a perception that it's more extreme, (so) an average family can't even get a place on the beach.”

But he says there's no real data on who uses cabanas and why. He also says there are many good reasons people might use them. They may have traveled a long way so plan to stay at the beach longer, or they may have a disability or young children who need to be cared for, he says.

“There's a balance between a free and open beach that everyone can use, and making sure you're respected.”

He offers no defense for the “land bankers” though: “As a Sydneysider, I think this is an abuse of privilege… and it's not fair business.”

As the debate rages on, there are some calls for a truce to restore peace to Australian shores.

Rowan Clark, founder of Beachkit Australia, which sells equipment including cabanas, told the Sydney Morning Herald he believed cabana lovers should be kinder.

“They should only allow standing at the back of the beach in line,” he said. “Once this is exhausted, no further shade pattern should be allowed.”

Others want the authorities to rein it in, as some have done in the United States. There are suggestions that councils could limit how many huts can be set up on their beaches and where.

But Sydney resident Claire, for all her anger, is concerned this could tip the scales the other way and exclude other people from using the beach.

“You don't want to be too precious about this, obviously… It's just the beach, first world problems, right?

“I think overall we should try to be considerate of each other.”