Cool Cabanas: How beach tent sparked turf war in Australia

For years, a controversial invader has been gradually taking over Australia’s beloved beaches.

Swallowing up the sand, blocking ocean views and turning the shore into an irksome maze is a sea of large beach tents, called cabanas in Australia.

“It’s chokkas. They’re all over the place,” Sydneysider Claire, 30, told the BBC.

For her – and most Australians – cooling off on a sweltering day means a solid drive to the coast, plus an eternity hunting down a park. Now, the cabana craze means there’s another battle waiting for them on the beach.

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

“The sheer amount of space that people are taking up… [when] you’re just trying to find a free square inch of sand to lay your towel, it can just be a little bit frustrating,” Claire says.

She’s not alone in her irritation. Several summers of simmering tension has, in the first days of 2025, exploded into a full-on turf war, sparking debate about Australian culture and beach etiquette.

A row over the acceptable use of cabanas has dominated social media, spawned a wave of opinion pieces and television segments, and has even dragged in the prime minister.

Self-described “haters” say entitled cabana crews are hogging public space and disrespecting other beachgoers.

“When you’re… polluting the beach with your four cabanas next to each other, where is Guncle Nic going to go,” anti-cabana crusader and TikToker Nic Salerno said on TV talk show The Project.

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

But the pro-cabana mob say seeking protection from Australia’s vicious sun isn’t a crime – and it’s every man for themselves.

Australia is the melanoma capital of the world, and many supporters – including national charity, the Cancer Council – argue the new trend should actually be celebrated.

“My partner and I have a cool cabana because we both burn extremely easily and we don’t want to die of skin cancer by 30, hope this helps,” one person wrote, responding to a TikTok rant.