"Height of selfishness": Photo at iconic beach sparks debate over etiquette
A photo taken at Bronte Beach has sparked the age old debate over whether picnickers should be allowed to reserve picnic tables by dumping their stuff on them.
The image taken at one of Sydney's most popular beaches, showed two picnic tables under the same hut with table clothes and bags on them, but there was no human in sight.
“There were at least half a dozen of these tables ‘reserved’ for a couple of hours on Sunday morning from very early in the day,” one annoyed beachgoer wrote on Reddit.
“We got there at 7am and left a few hours later. No one was using the tables the entire time we were there.”
The post has received hundreds of comments from other annoyed picnickers, with one going as far as calling it "unAustralian".
“It's not acceptable,” one person said. “You can reserve it by sitting there yourself, but not by leaving an item.”
“Yes, you should be actually using it, not leaving your s**t on there to reserve it for later,” another added.
“It's the height of selfishness.”
“Move their stuff, move yourself in, and say, ‘it was like this when I got here’,” one commenter suggested.
“All I see is a free tablecloth and free bag,” another quipped.
However, a few others pointed out that there were other available seats, and that there are unspoken rules around reserving picnic spots.
"In this instance, it’s probably okay,” one wrote. “The back table is free, go grab it.”
"As long as there’s people there minding the tables, not just throwing a bunch of tablecloths down and walking off, I’m fine with it,” another added. “First come first served.”
“If I was bringing a few things from the car I might do this,” a third commented.
“Like dropping off the tablecloth and backpack before grabbing the esky etc. But I'd maintain line of sight. Anything else isn't justified in my opinion.”
A spokesperson for Waverly Council have asked people to "refrain from reserving tables and always have a back up plan".
“Waverley is the second-most densely populated local government area in Australia outside of the City of Sydney, and we attract millions of visitors every year, so our recreational spaces are at a premium," the spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
“On weekends and at other peak times, picnic tables and barbecues do invariably fill up. So we ask people to share our spaces so that everyone can have a turn.”
Images: Reddit