Popular tourist town divided over growing Aussie beach trend: 'Necessary evil'
It appears that 'cabana-rama' is one beach fad that's here to stay.
This week, unseasonably warm weather across the country has given Aussies a tiny glimmer of hope that summer is just around the corner. And while the idea of soaking up the sun's rays at one of the country's many iconic beaches is a welcome thought for many, not everyone is as pleased.
In a photo shared to social media on Saturday from Queensland's Noosa Heads, one of the country's busiest tourist destinations, a divisive trend shows no signs of relenting. That's right, CoolCabana's are back.
The image shows over 20 of the open tent-like structures dotted across the small beach — a trend that started in 2022 — and it appears "cabana-rama" is here to stay despite critics suggesting that they are "taking over" Australian beaches and ruining the scenery for others.
CoolCabana photo divides Noosa locals once again
Ever the divisive topic, a woman's innocent photo captioned "great day at the beach" and made no mention of the popular sun shelters sparked a heated debate among locals.
"Jeez they look crook," said one Noosa local, who called the structures a "necessary evil".
"Here they come again," said another, frustratingly pointing out that locals will need "good luck" to find a spot on the beach, or anywhere to park nearby as tourists flock to the region in the summer months.
"Being local doesn’t give you exclusive rights to the beach," another retorted.
While a fourth thought that the shelters are a "great idea."
CoolCabanas constant source of division among Aussies
Despite the division among locals, there is more to the trendy fad than taking up scarce space on the sand. The cabanas offer a higher Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) and allow less UV radiation (both UVB and UVA) to reach your skin.
For example, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, UPF 50 fabric blocks 98 per cent of the sun's rays — therefore reducing your "exposure risk" significantly. CoolCabanas provide UPF 50+ protection. The Melanoma Institute has even previosuly partnered with CoolCabanas.
Other cabana naysayers have previously argued that they can impact lifesavers' visibility, but Adam Weir, CEO of Surf Life Saving Australia, told Yahoo News Australia earlier this year that "surf lifesavers operate as a team, and are trained to move around the beach to provide the most suitable surveillance on any given day.
"As such, if surveillance is impeded from a specific location on the beach they would move."
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