A group of would-be off-roaders have been ridiculed for getting their luxury cars bogged in the sand on a popular beach for 4WD enthusiasts.
A photo shared online showed a $150,000 Maserati Levante SUV stuck in the sand, with a Land Rover Discovery behind it.
Locals from Newcastle, north of Sydney, said the tourists should have known that the Maserati was not equipped for driving on deep sand.
'This is one of the dumbest things I've seen in my life,' one person commented.
'Money doesn't buy brains.'
The luxury Maserati Levante SUV has an 'all-wheel drive' system - but is not a proper 4WD with low and high range and the ability to lock the differential between the vehicle's two axles.
Such vehicles do not have the capacity to apply high torque to one set of wheels to pull the car forward while the other wheels are bogged.
'Anyone taking a Maserati onto a beach deserves to get bogged,' one person said after a photo of a young couple struggling in the sand dunes was shared online.
A group of travellers have been slammed for driving their Maseratis worth upwards of $150,000 onto a popular beach - only for the luxury cars to get bogged in the sand dunes
Others joked that at least the stranded drivers should be able to afford the fees to hire a tow driver if they can pay $150,000 for a car.
The luxury cars are not designed to be driven on rough terrain and sand dunes, despite their appearance.
Permit holders at the beach are able to travel along the sand dunes in a 4WD, but require a particular permit to ensure they are eligible to travel in the conditions.
Some locals went so far as to say they deserved the outcome for being 'dumb enough' to take the luxury vehicles on the sand in the first place
Quad biking is also available for those with unsuitable cars, and sand-boarding tours are on offer.
Other options include horse and camel rides.
