‘Our streets are just chockers’: Sydney council cracks down on caravan, boat parking

A Sydney council is banning caravans and boats illegally parked on public roads, introducing $140 fines and “no parking” signs to combat the problem, which residents have labelled a congestion nightmare and eyesore.

From the end of the month, Sutherland Shire Council will install “No parking, motor vehicles excepted” signs, beginning a targeted six-month trial banning the practice.

While there will be a grace period, the penalty for owners who continue to park in designated areas without a motor vehicle attached will be $140. The council identified hotspots on five roads in Cronulla, Caringbah South, Woolooware, Lilli Pilli and Como where the ban will apply, and will look at extending the trial.

The council received more than 2400 complaints from residents about boats or trailers and more than 500 complaints about caravan parking in 2025. Other local government areas across Sydney such as the Northern Beaches, Woollahra, Canada Bay and Randwick experience similar issues.

One of the most common complaints is that long-term storage of caravans and boats makes already congested streets more narrow and reduces parking spots for locals. Other concerns are that caravans block sightlines, creating safety issues.

In NSW, a caravan can be anywhere that a motor vehicle can be legally parked. If caravans or boats are parked on public streets far from the owner’s home for longer than a 28-day limit, councils have powers to issue a move-on notice with which the owner must comply.

But the laws, which do not specify what constitutes “moving” a vehicle, create a loophole for owners to shift their caravan a few metres or just around the corner.

“Trying to enforce that rule, chasing them around is such a nightmare. You’ll find the same van will be moved around three different areas … it’s a lot of people playing around with the system,” councillor Carol Provan said.

In a report, the council said caravan parking legislation was “reactive”, not proactive, and had “limited effectiveness and is resource-intensive to administer and enforce”. The proposed solution to implement widespread parking controls would be better at deterrence, the council added.

Asked how much revenue would be collected from fines and how those funds would be spent, a council spokesperson said: “The purpose of the trial is to address ongoing concerns raised by residents, not to raise revenue.”

“Council recognises that trailer owners need parking options and the trial will help to better understand the impacts of the restrictions and inform what options may need to be considered in the future.”

Provan’s motion to tighten parking restrictions was passed unanimously at a February council meeting. She said other councillors, like her, were often inundated with emails and phone calls from residents about caravans that were parked on public streets for months.

“There’s no room on our streets for caravans or boats,” Provan said. “Our streets are just chockers. They’re bursting. People should be responsible for what they’re parking.”

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