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There are calls to ban cabanas from some of the country’s busiest beaches with some angry Aussies claiming they take up too much space.
The popularity of cabanas is booming as Australians become more sun-safe, but some complain the beach shelters are an eye-sore and block views of the ocean.
The creation of the CoolCabanas brand by Queensland architect Mark Fraser is seen as the catalyst for the boom, as sales also take off across the US and Europe.
Sydney‘s Waverley and Northern Beaches councils say that while a ban is not yet necessary, they will monitor safety and the effect on ocean views.
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce admitted he wasn’t a fan of the shelters and said Aussies should instead only spend a short amount of time in the sun.
Tanya Plibersek and Barnaby Joyce weighed in on whether cabanas should be restricted from Aussie beaches
‘I just think wear a shirt, wear a hat and once you’ve had enough sun, get off the beach,’ he told Sunrise on Monday morning.
‘They just become detritus, they’re all over the beach and they spoil it for other people.
‘Once you’ve had enough, get out of the sun and leave.’
Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek disagreed with Mr Joyce, and said she would not like to see the cabanas banned, but urged beachgoers to be considerate of others.
‘I think it’s fantastic people are being sun-sensible, Australia’s still got some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world,’ she told the Channel 7 program.
‘You have to be considerate, obviously you have to leave enough room for the people around you to also use the beach, you have to make sure the lifesavers can see the water to keep us safe.
‘As long as you’re sensible about it I say bring it on.’
There have been calls for beach cabanas to be banned from the shores of some of Australia’s busiest swimming spots all because some claim they take up too much space
Myrtle Beach in the US state of South Carolina banned beach cabanas in 2014 after the tents became so popular a ‘virtual wall’ was seen across the shore.
The beach’s public information officer Mark Kruea said lifeguards were concerned they wouldn’t be able to respond quickly to an emergency when they had to navigate through all the canopies.
‘They were so plentiful at peak times and locations that they blocked access and visibility to the water’s edge, affecting public safety and everyone’s enjoyment of our gorgeous beach,’ Mr Kruea told the Sydney Morning Herald.
A spokesperson for Waverley Council, which includes Sydney’s eastern suburbs, said restrictions would not be imposed but the council would monitor safety and access to the water.
The Northern Beaches council said it would ‘kindly ask’ people to relocate their cabanas if they blocked ocean views.
Popularity of the beach item has boomed thanks to Queenslander Mark Fraser who created the CoolCabanas brand, which has taken off in the US, Europe and Australia
Mr Fraser’s CoolCabanas range have popped up all over Aussie beaches but not everyone is on board.
Some social media users have complained the cabanas are ‘annoying’ and ‘take up so much space’.
‘Move them back from the shore line so we can see our kids in the water!’ one said.
Another person said: ‘I think they’re dumb, better off with something with sides.’
But the majority of Aussies are in favour of the cabana with some dubbing it the ‘best invention ever’ which takes less than a minute to assemble and pull down.
Mr Fraser came up with the idea of an easy to use shade while holidaying with his wife and children at Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 2014.
He saw people struggle to put up umbrella shades and thought he could design something far better.
CoolCabana beach shades (pictured) are proving very popular this summer across Australia
His genius hack to one of life’s little annoyances has since turned CoolCabanas into a multi-million dollar global empire.
‘I’ve spent a fortune on marketing and building the brand and set up and sat under a CoolCabana countless times for half an hour then relocated further along the beach using this as an opportunity to demonstrate the product to build interest,’ he earlier told the Sunday Mail.
The basic plan was that it must be wind resistant, easy to use and comfortable enough for families to spend the entire day under.
He sketched out design options there and then while sitting on the beach and came up with the core idea of a centre pole and corner arms held up by sand bags.
In response to whether or not they take up too much space, Mr Fraser said ‘we actually have the most efficient footprint on the beach.
‘A square area of shade is much more efficient for a human body to lie or sit under than the circle of shade provided by an umbrella.’
He commissioned a study comparing umbrellas and CoolCabanas set up socially distanced on a beach at 1.5metres and two metres.
‘What this showed is CoolCabanas were over 20 per cent more efficient and they have the benefit other beach goers can see through them,’ Mr Fraser said.
CoolCabanas inventor Mark Fraser (pictured) came up with the idea while sitting at Noosa beach in 2014
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