Do trailers, caravans and boats belong on suburban streets? It’s an increasingly controversial question in our crowded city streets, where space is at a premium, and a commonly asked one for one council in Sydney.

Randwick City Council revealed it has been swamped with complaints about boats and trailers parked in suburban streets, and has issued $28,000 in fines and impounding more than 400 vehicles in recent times as a result.

Parking in major cities is increasingly scarce and increasingly expensive, and many residents argue that trailers, boats and caravans take up critical space. According to Randwick City Council, many reported cases allege that some vehicles are parked for weeks at a time, making parking difficult for locals.

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What does the law say? Boat owners can legally park their craft – including outside the owner’s residence – for up to 28 days at a time.

This week, Randwick City Council told Yahoo News Australia rangers had been kept quite busy tending to reports of what residents claimed were unattended vehicles and trailers.

The council told the news outlet it is actively monitoring and removing trailers that have overstayed their welcome in its streets. “State government rules allow owners of registered trailers to park their trailer legally on the street outside their home, and to park the trailer elsewhere for up to 28 days before moving it,” a Randwick City spokesman told Yahoo.

“Rangers have investigated 932 suspected unattended vehicles in 2025, impounding 440 and
issuing over $28,000 in fines.”

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It’s not a new controversy in congested Sydney. Two years ago a boat parked in the street at Freshwater on Sydney’s Northern Beaches had “f**k it off” spray painted in red on its side. The owner then responded to the vandals by taping a note to the boat which read: “The boat and trailer are registered, and we can thus park it legally in the street.”

Understandably tired of the drama, the boat’s owner then posted another – and presumably the last –letter to the community. It read: “The boat will be moved in the next few days, please do not damage it or graffiti it”.