Beach shack for rent : joke underlies serious issue

With so much talk about the pros and cons of the current tourism boom, a beach shack for rent post has provided some light relief.

The classic 'location shot'

WITH so much talk on social media about the pros and cons of the current tourism boom, a beach shack for rent Facebook post has provided some light relief.

During a recent trip to the beach near Urunga Ellie Tree and her family stumbled upon a beach shack made out of driftwood.

"My daughter ran straight for it and sat under it, we built a matching mail box and a camp fire and joked about moving in there," Ellie said.

She posted some photos on social media with a brief description and the classic real estate 'location shot'.

Ellie and her children added a matching mail box and a camp fire and joked about moving in there.

She works in the community sector with young people in Coffs Harbour and understands the dire situation many people are facing securing affordable accommodation.

"But you don't have to be directly involved to know there is a huge housing crisis right now, and sometimes it's hard to empathise with people going through a crisis when you're not experiencing it yourself," Ellie said.

"I think sometimes comedy helps get the issues across in a way that keeps the conversation going but doesn't have to bring down the mood."

Ellie and her children added a matching mail box and a camp fire and joked about moving in there.

Refreshingly for Ellie the majority of people who reacted to her Facebook post about the beach shack for rent got the joke.

With the Coffs Coast experiencing a tourist boom right now there has been lots of talk on social media about it, particularly in the context of the current housing crisis.

Regions like Coffs Harbour have seen a dramatic increase in short-term rental bookings these holidays, with Aussies forced to swap overseas trips with getaways on home soil.

Tourists have copped a lot of flak on social media in recent weeks.

The beach shack near Urunga.

Many criticise visitors for not respecting the environment or taking up short-term accommodation which could be used for locals struggling to find affordable housing.

RELATED:

Running out of options: Coffs' homeless crisis escalates

Numbers capped at Big Banana to 'keep things under control'

Coffs development boom unbelievable says Council director

"Generally at this time of year posts on Facebook are pretty drab - posts telling people to slow down on our roads - people advocating to lock up areas like the Promised Land to keep out the tourists and trash - locals fuming about the lack of parking who would be equally outraged if councils built multistorey car parks."

Bellingen Mayor Dominic King has called for the consideration of a bed tax on the region's many short-term tourism accommodation providers.

RELATED: Boom causing 'real fear' in community

She has lived on the Coffs Coast for three years but her husband Jordan Tree grew up here and is a local builder.

"He is booked out for pretty much all of next year - so while there is a housing crisis, there is also a lot of people here investing money into fixing and creating their forever homes."

Ellie's husband Jordan Tree is a builder and grew up in the region and is booked out for "pretty much all of next year". Their children are Annabelle and little Cleo

Speaking with family and friends makes Ellie think the current housing crisis is not as unprecedented as some people believe.

Her mother and father-in-law moved out of Sydney thirty years ago and found themselves in the Bellingen region with a baby on the way and few options.

"They landed here and she was 10 weeks pregnant and there were no rentals here back then either. And people seem to forget that."

The 'tourism boom' is also been slightly blown out of proportion according to Ellie.

"I think it's been busier than this - I think it just appears the busiest it's been because we've gone from bushfires and then social distancing with practically no tourists for over a year to BAM, holidays and no international travel and everyone wants out of the city."