Woman fined for 'five-minute' stop at Caves Beach, Newcastle

A young Aussie woman has expressed her fury after she was fined $136 over a 'five-minute' stop- before the real reason emerged.

Amy Sloane shared a photo of the ticket she copped at The Esplanade at Caves Beach, Newcastle, to 'check out the surf' on July 6.

She had no idea that she had been fined until the ticket arrived in the post several weeks later.

'Rangers can't fine people who don't pick up after their dogs on our on our beaches but the rangers can secretly fine you without you knowing, for just checking out the surf for five minutes,' she said.

'How about a warning you cowards!'

The post on a community Facebook page sparked a divided reaction from locals. 

Several weren't very sympathetic and told Ms Sloane to take the issue up with council instead of complaining online.

'Aren't the warnings in signage?' one wrote.

Another added: 'So you parked incorrectly but whinge when booked.'

Others said it was extremely common for locals to pause at the beach to look at the waves, or even wale watch during migration season.

Some believed that Ms Sloane should be grateful that she didn't cop any demerit points for the parking breach.

Lake Macquarie Council has since explained that Ms Sloane's quick stop wasn't the reason for the ticket.

Instead, the council pointed to her car being parked in the opposite direction of travel, which is illegal in all Australian states and territories.

'The fine at hand was issued for not parallel parking in the direction of travel, which is a safety offence under Australian Road Rules,' a council spokesperson told Yahoo News.

'The driver's vehicle crossed double white lines and was parked near a bend, facing oncoming traffic, which further heightened safety concerns. 

'Lake Macquarie City Council enforces parking regulations to ensure the safety of all road users.'