That was the case recently in Port Kembla when a mobile camera appeared on a traffic island at the entrance to the beach car park.

There was no signage to explain where it came from or what it was looking at, which is a sure recipe to spark all sorts of speculation on social media.

Some insisted it was a camera to monitor mobile phone use - it wasn't.

Others were sure it was a speed camera - again, that's not what it was.

Then there were those who believed the cameras were keeping an eye out for illegal dumpers - nope.

And of course others were certain it was a sign of Big Brother doing ... well ... something.

Turns out Wollongong City Council put the camera there as part of its trial for timed parking at popular beachside locations.

"To help assess and evaluate the parking trial, we set up data collection devices to collect parking turnover information and data at the Port Kembla timed sites," a council spokesperson said.

"The towers were only active during the Easter long weekend period."

There was also a similar tower keeping an eye on Austinmer Beach for the same purpose, though that didn't seem to raise anywhere near as many eyebrows.