Australians have their say on Aussie cabana beach trend

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard the vigorous debate about beach cabanas and whether they should be allowed on Aussie shores.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard the vigorous debate about beach cabanas and whether they should be allowed on Aussie beaches.

On social media and breakfast television, those for and against have been vocal about the trend that’s taken over Aussie summer.

But what do the majority of Aussies really think?

Almost 11,000 readers responded to a news.com.au poll on Tuesday asking whether it is “okay to reserve a spot on the beach with a cabana” after reports that some people pop up their tent simple to grab a coveted spot, and then don’t even use it.

One camp — the no vote — garnered a whopping 82 per cent of the vote. Just 15 per cent said it was OK and 3 per cent were undecided.

The results of the cabana poll pictured

The debate about beach cabanas has been raging since January 2023 after a clip saw one Gold Coast beach covered in the colourful tents.

This summer Nic, who goes by @gunclediaries on TikTok, has posted several videos about the sun shades, leading the charge in the debate. The social media user has praised places such as Sydney’s Northern Beaches and the concrete area at the iconic Clovelly Beach as the “place to be” as there are no cabanas in sight.

In another clip he counted how many cabanas there were on another beach, saying there were “up to eight” meaning there was “no room on the beach”.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard the vigorous debate about beach cabanas and whether they should be allowed on Aussie shores. Picture: Facebook

He said people should be “charged for the space” they take up, adding they took up “prime real estate” at the beach.

Another social media user echoed the complaint. She accused people of setting up their cabanas only to sit outside the shaded area in direct sunlight.

“What do you mean you’ve got three CoolCabanas and you’re still sitting outside of them?” she asked rhetorically.

Now, Australians have weighed in on the issue with a whopping 10,598 people voted on whether it was “okay to reserve a spot on the beach with a cabana”.

“You’re taking up literally a 10 by 10 square metre area on the beach, and you’re still sitting outside your CoolCabana in the sun? What’s the point?”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also weighed in on the issue, saying it “wasn’t on” to set up your cabana and then leaving the beach completely to be able to return later.

“One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, you go and you got to pay to go to the beach,’’ Mr Albanese said.

“Here, everyone owns the beach. Everyone. And it’s a place where every Australian is equal. And that’s a breach of that principle, really, to think that you can reserve a little spot as just yours.”

The response isn’t surprising considering a note at Balmoral Beach, in Sydney’s lower north shore, was labelled the “the dictionary example of entitlement”.

“Reserved 31/8 from 1pm,” a note taped to a picnic table read.

Nic kicked off the cabana debate in 2025. Picture: TikTok/@guncle

Another social media user echoed the complaint, accusing people of setting up their cabanas only to sit outside the shaded area, in direct sunlight. Picture: TikTok

The message, taped onto not one but two tables in the area, lit a fire under Sydney beachgoers after it was posted online. One local took to a community Facebook group to share their disbelief, posting a photo of the sign with the caption, “Really? Love to know where you place the official booking. Both tables ‘reserved.’”

Reserving a picnic table at Balmoral Beach through Mosman Council or any other means is not allowed.

One commenter said the brazen move was downright “unacceptable”.

“That photo should be the dictionary example of entitlement,” they wrote.

“Yeah, nah. Can’t reserve public tables. You want it, put the effort in and sit there the whole day from 8am,” another chimed in.

“Pretty sure the English did the same about 240 years ago but they used a flag, cannons, and muskets,” one other wrote.

Originally published as Australians have their say on Aussie cabana beach trend