Like Christmas and New Year, Australia Day can be a time when some of our most beautiful campsites can get a little more ‘rowdy’ than usual.
While the authorities are all for campers having a wonderful time when out in the Australian wilderness, they have already warned that unruly and offensive behaviour by visitors will not be tolerated in any national park camp ground or visitor area.
Certainly in New South Wales, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is in no hurry to see the repeat of the scenes on New Year’s Eve which saw 70 people evicted from Ruins camping ground in the Booti Booti National Park near Forster.
Area Manager Stephen Smith told the Daily Telegraph that groups of people who drank excessively and disrupted other campers are the problem.
“These activities often carry into the early hours of the morning keeping other campers awake,” he said. “Offences under our national parks regulations include offensive conduct, loud music, swearing, excessive alcohol consumption, littering and in some cases indecent behaviour.
Over the 2015 Australia Day long weekend about 100 people were evicted from the Ruins Camping Ground for offensive behaviour.
“Groups who come with plans to party, drink excessively and disturb others will not be permitted to stay, including over the Australia Day long weekend,” said Mr Smith. “The NPWS will not tolerate this type of activity in any camping ground.”
He said camping grounds were provided namely for families and others looking for a pleasant and peaceful nature-based stay in a national park.
* Have you found a quite spot to spend Australia Day? Have ‘hoons’ ever spoilt your holiday camping experience? Comment below.
While it is commendable to say “The NPWS will not tolerate this type of activity in any camping ground” how can anyone foresee bad behaviour from these groups. They are well skilled at being polite and charming and promising to behave and within hours thumbing their noses at authority.
While it’s easy to say disruptive behaviour won’t be tolerated, how will rangers police this kind of problem in remote camping areas?
We had two recent bad experiences camping in remote areas (no reception, no camp site staff) where groups who looked well-mannered enough during daylight turned into rude and rowdy campfellows at night, not to say entitled (‘we come here to do as we wish’, one very drunk guy told us). With no regard for our polite requests for quite, WHAT can one do with no backup from camp staff?
We go looking for quiet places to camp away from noise, only to be extremely agitated and annoyed by people like these. And no help can be expected from camp offices or park rangers at 2am.
Any effective suggestions from people with similar experiences?