It’s easy to spot the tourists on Tasman Drive. Their cars move slowly down the residential street as passengers dangle phones out of the window, trying to get the perfect shot. They pose in front of tripods in the middle of the road, or pore over smartphones and analyze their selfies.
This short stretch of asphalt in the relaxed seaside town of Gerringong, a 90-mile drive south of Sydney, has become known online as “Australia’s prettiest street.” For the past 12 months, tourists have swarmed there, posting thousands of videos on Instagram and TikTok.
Multimillion-dollar properties line one side of Tasman Drive, but the other side of the road is the main attraction. A large stretch of grass offers a vantage point down to rolling green hills that frame the ocean. If you stand in the middle of the street, the bay seems to swallow the road.
“Everyone who has seen the Eiffel Tower wants to get a photo in front,” said Kevin Dale, who lives on Tasman Drive. “Well, this is our Eiffel Tower. They want to have the photo in this street.”
During vacation periods, the traffic can be so bad that locals say they try to run errands in the morning before hunkering down at home during the busiest part of the day. Sometimes the two-lane road becomes clogged with cars parked on both sides of the street.
Visitors have asked to use residents’ bathrooms or kitchens, and there have been reports of tourists “relieving themselves” on front lawns, a recent council meeting noted. Some residents have been unable to access the cemetery at the top of the hill because of difficulties parking, the council also said.
For years, the street was a secret held by residents. Now the local authorities are grappling with how to manage its newfound fame.
Like many popular destinations on Australia’s east coast, Gerringong’s economy relies on tourism. Council data shows that the average monthly tourism spending in the area over the past six months was about 2.4 million Australian dollars, about $1.7 million, a 51.6 percent increase from the previous six-month period.
But catering to sightseers and locals has become an increasingly delicate balancing act.
In Gerringong, Mayor Cameron McDonald said that the popularity of Tasman Drive had caught the authorities off guard, but that the council was working to address concerns. It plans to start a door-knocking campaign in the coming weeks to seek residents’ opinions, and is considering whether parking restrictions, multilingual signs pointing to public bathrooms or extra trash cans and picnic tables could help.
“Certainly we won’t be turning anyone away,” Mr. McDonald said. But he asked that visitors “respect the local residents and their property, and that they exercise good judgment by being safe when they’re taking pictures.”
Many residents say they are happy to share their beautiful views. Mr. Dale and his wife, Leta, who have lived on Tasman Drive for 12 years, are pleased that people are enjoying the town. The couple have even allowed some desperate tourists to use their bathroom.
“It’s made me more aware of just how beautiful it is,” Ms. Dale said of the view. “We’re all tourists at some point.”
There have been some moments of inconvenience, the Dales said. On one occasion, their van — which they use to transport their daughter, who uses a wheelchair — was boxed in by another vehicle.
The Dales said they would welcome the council adding infrastructure to cope with surges in tourism. Some of their neighbors are more negative about the throng of tourists, Mr. Dale said, but overall, they are happy to share their seascape.
“I’ve been overseas a few times and I think, ‘Why do I bother?’ when I’ve got one of the prettiest places in the world to live,” he said.
Cathy O’Connor, who bought her block of land on Tasman Drive in 2010, also had no issue with the street’s sudden popularity. “Everyone should enjoy it,” she said of the view. “I don’t own it.”
Among the tourists visiting the street this past week were Danica Lathanie, 25, and Rionart Prakarsa, 28, from Sydney. They discovered the destination through social media.
“I was actually expecting to see lots of people today,” Ms. Lathanie said, “because as far as what I see from TikTok, they said it’s really too crowded actually, that the locals are starting to feel, like, a little bit annoyed by maybe how loud the tourists are or how dirty they left some messy stuff here.”
“But turns out it’s not really that crowded today,” she added.
Mr. Prakarsa said the view was “absolutely extraordinary.”
Susan Grantham, a professor of social media at Griffith University in Australia, said it could be frustrating for residents when their neighborhoods go viral overnight. “These people bought houses on a quiet street and are now inundated with travelers wanting that perfect shot,” she said.
Back on Tasman Drive, when time permits, the Dales sit on their balcony and look at the spectacular view, while tourists pose for photographs.
“We’re blessed,” Ms. Dale said. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Laura Chung is a Sydney-based reporter and researcher for The Times, covering Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
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