By Abbey Cannan
The humble beach umbrella has been blown away by the massive rise in popularity of cabanas, making it hard for some to spot the sand at Noosa Main Beach.
As Noosa local Paul Newall puts it, “Hopefully this cabana trend isn’t the norm from now on, as I would like to see the sand.“
Despite the concern, CoolCabana stockists at Paradise Lifestyle in Noosa Hastings Street said the trend was here to stay.
“The cabana trend has changed the beach landscape forever,“ a staff member said.
“I think it’s a pretty serious turning point for beach-goers because it allows you to stay at the beach for longer.“
He said sales on cabanas had gone through the roof compared to previous years.
“We’re selling out most of the time, it’s been hard to get stock. The demand has exploded massively this year.“
Although the beach trend only seemed to be taking off as of recent, the CoolCabana has been around for five years.
“It was designed locally on Little Cove Beach by an award-winning New Zealand architect Mark Fraser,“ Paradise Lifestyle staff said.
“He was watching people dealing with umbrellas and them blowing away from the wind and he started sketching it at Little Cove. So I think that’s a really nice local aspect to it as well.
“They’re more stable than umbrellas and they’ve got the vents in the top of the canopy which allows air to pass through the top more easily. Since it’s anchored in five spots, it’s a lot more stable rather than simple anchored in one point.“
For the people complaining about cabanas taking over Noosa Main Beach, Paradise Lifestyle staff said to just buy one and join the party.
“They just have Cabana envy,“ he said.
Noosa Council Acting Community Services Director, Ash Saward said generally speaking, beach shelters aren’t deemed to pose an issue so long as they’re being used in a reasonable manner to provide shade and shelter for beachgoers. “If cabanas or gazebos have been erected as part of an event and are of concern for some reason, Council is able to investigate whether they comply with the required permit conditions,“ Ash said.
Paradise Lifestyle staff said the good thing about the CoolCabana was that you can see through it to what’s in front of you.
“So even if you’re sitting behind someone with it on the beach, you can generally see through it to the beach which I think is really nice,“ he said.
“I encourage people to always use sunscreen as well but they are all UPF 50 rated which is the highest rating design standard for fabric.“
Paradise Lifestyle have partnered with CoolCabanas to create a fun competition where they are giving away: One Large CoolCabana, a CoolCabana Grass Kit, a CoolCabana Beach Mat and a Paradise Lifestyle Gift Voucher valued at $300. See in store for details.
