Warning over Aussie man’s ‘genius’ parking hack of pouring sand on yellow lines to avoid fines

An Australian man’s viral parking hack has been hailed as “genius” on social media, but an expert is warning it could get you into legal hot water.

In a TikTok video titled “what yellow line” that has gained 1.6 million views and nearly 2000 comments in just two days, the unidentified man demonstrates how he sidesteps pesky parking inspectors at a Coolangatta beach.

In the footage, he is seen scooping sand into plastic cups before walking back to the kerb where his car is parked on a curve in the road close to a beach and pouring it over a yellow line that denotes its status as a no parking area.

Parking on a continuous yellow line carries a $333 fine in Queensland.

“I’m just parking on the yellow line and I’m covering it,” he explains.

Commenters were quick to praise his out-of-the-box thinking, with one writing “Why have I never thought of this omg” and another adding “oi this is genius”.

“I live right near this beach and may I say…. That’s genius Sir. The parking is awful,” yet another wrote.

But before everyone adopts the man’s flexible approach to parking laws, principal criminal lawyer at Astor Legal Avinash Singh has urged people to think twice.

He said that while there are no specific offences against covering yellow lines with sand, “it can be seen as attempting to pervert the course of justice if it is done with the intention of avoiding a parking fine being issued.”

Penalties for perverting the course of justice vary between states, with maximum penalties of between seven and 25 years in jail.

“The purpose of yellow parking lines is to make it clear that vehicles should not be parked there,” Mr Singh said.

“Usually, these yellow lines are near corners. Parking vehicles in these areas can lead to accidents as turning vehicles may not see the parked vehicles.”

And, he said the fact that the man was filmed covering the yellow line and the footage posted on social media could increase the likelihood of a penalty being imposed.

“This is because the courts would consider that there is a greater need to send a message to the wider community denouncing this conduct…this is known as the concept of general deterrence,” said Mr Singh said.

In an interview with 7NEWS, the pair who filmed the video, Bonnie and Kodi, said they didn’t stay in the spot for long before finding a legal parking space.

“We were actually just dropping off the surf boards,” Kodi said.

He continued, “Look the Karens are going to hate it, but we were just joking around.”

“Bit of Aussie larrikinism, hey.”