An offer to rent out a tent in a “private secret garden” in Queensland has left Aussies gobsmacked, sparking a wild online debate.
For $80 a night – or a reduced price of $380 a week for those who want to stay longer – renters can camp out in someone’s backyard in the coastal town of Agnes Water in the Gladstone region.
The ad was originally posted in a Gladstone buy, swap, sell group by a Queensland local, with the man claiming the “glamping” set up would be suitable for up to two people.
“Included full 24/7 free access to own Fridge, Bathroom, Laundry, NBN, and negotiated full access to Kitchen plus off-street parking, BBQ also,” the ad stated.
Photos show a white tent nestled into a small area covered by astro turf. There is a fridge at the top of a ramp next to the tent, with the ramp leading into a small laundry and bathroom.
The advertisement also boasts a “beach view from a hammock garden”, with photos showing two hammocks sitting on more astro turf.
The ad also refers to a number of exciting activities, including scuba diving, snorkelling and surfing, with a number of supermarkets and coffee shops just minutes away.
Unfortunately bedding is not included in the rental price, with anyone wanting to stay in the rent required to bring their own sleeping gear.
The peculiar ad attracted attention from a number of Gladstone locals, with many questioning whether the rental offer was a joke.
One person claimed the poster “can’t be serious”, while another questioned whether the set up was “council approved’.
“Why would I not just stay at the caravan park?” another person asked.
Bizarrely, the original poster appeared to have the same idea, offering up a number of other options to people who didn’t like the sound of his “glamping” set up.
“There is an excellent caravan park next door and right on the beach. They also have cabins and bigger and better Glamping tents. Check on Google,” he wrote in the comments of the post.
The advertisement gained so much attention that it was shared to other social media pages, including Twitter and a Facebook group for renters.
“I hear it’s lovely (to live in a tent in a backyard) in Gladstone at this time of year (for $380 a week),” Twitter user Emily Mayo wrote alongside a screenshot of the listing.
“This is depressing,” one person wrote.
“Who could resist an offer of negotiated kitchen access!” another joked.
Renters in the tenant Facebook group were even more enraged, accusing the poster of “taking the piss out of the rental crisis”.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” another wrote, with one person claiming offering such a rental “should be criminal”.
The brutal reality of Australia’s rental crisis has been laid bare in a recent report, which revealed the majority of Aussies are now experiencing housing stress.
A survey of hundreds of people by national housing campaign Everybody’s Home shows one in three Australians are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.
Renters are the hardest hit. The report found four in five residents (82 per cent) were struggling to keep up with rental hikes and were now experiencing rental stress.
Campaign spokeswoman Maiy Azize said Australians were being pushed to the brink and forced to do “desperate things” just to keep a roof over their head.
“These figures and the stories behind them are harrowing. We’ve heard from people worried they will become homeless with their children, renters in extreme hardship, and older women who are considering sleeping in their cars or on the streets because they can’t find an affordable home,” she said.
“It’s no wonder that three-quarters of the people who we survey told us that they were really scared about their financial security for the future.”