The popular tourist town of Margaret River in WA has decided to change the way it approaches the thorny – and recurrent – problem of illegal camping … acknowledging that its previous actions have effectively failed.
At a special council meeting this week, the council decided to introduce a collaborative way of problem-solving and working with the local community to address illegal camping and peak season pressures.
Councillors formally endorsed the approach of bringing diverse community members together to form an ongoing Illegal Camping and Peak Season Community Working Group. It also approved an allocation of $30,000 to progress ‘quick win’ actions identified by the community for the 2025/26 summer season.
Illegal camping is an issue in coastal communities up and down the country. PIC: Cizza
Shire President Julia Jean-Rice said that the Shire was looking forward to managing this complex issue side-by-side with the community.
“For years, residents have raised concerns about the impacts of illegal camping and peak season pressures,” said President Jean-Rice. “These impacts are real and felt daily by our community – human waste in public spaces, safety concerns in car parks, reduced access to beaches and natural areas, and pressure on local amenity.”
She said it had been a persistent issue, and the council’s aim was to work more transparently and collaboratively with the community to better manage it.
“Traditional responses to illegal camping have relied on enforcement, and while that remains an essential tool, experience shows that fines alone are not effective,” she said. “These complex community issues require nuance, local knowledge, sustained attention, and the kind of adaptive problem-solving that can only come from genuine partnership between community and council.”
Ms Jean-Rice said community members had proposed practical solutions spanning enforcement, infrastructure, education and collaboration.
“The new initiatives that we’re trialling this year will help make a difference in the short term, and we’re committed to working side-by-side with our community to continuously improve by monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting our approach over the years,” she said. “Based on the community group’s feedback, we are going to explore installing gates to manage access at Barrett Street Weir, but we will consult with the broader community before pursuing this option.”
Ahead of the 2025/26 peak season, the Shire is now working on implementing Shire-wide actions including increasing fines for illegal camping to $200, adjusting Ranger patrol routes and maintaining randomised schedules, improving signage and messaging, and working more closely with DBCA to strengthen collaboration between rangers.
The idea is that, going forward, the community working group will operate as an advisory body to inform illegal camping actions over time, including identifying emerging problem areas, co-designing solutions informed by local knowledge and operational constraints, informing an annual budget for locally prioritised actions, monitoring implementation and evaluating results through evidence and community feedback.
Ms Jean-Rice stressed that it was really important to note that not all campers are the same, and that some were people experiencing homelessness.
A comprehensive post-season evaluation report will be provided to Council in early 2026, informing budget priorities and roadmap refinement for the following year.
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How about provide a cost effective RV park area??
Yes , and that could bring much needed business to the town
That would be too easy, they just love any excuse to show their authority and fine you, ffs absolute morons
Well said
How about… a (local) resident “Camping guide/person” to record visitors and maybe educate them on the respectable behaviour while visiting.
So sick of people wanting everything for free. Water costs, toilet maintenance costs, waste removal costs – the ratepayers should not pay for people wanting a holiday or a lifestyle
Well said!
Why is it that retirees expect to get everything for free these day?
There are so many people on the road with an inflated sense of entitlement.
Labelling all retirees with the same label is unhelpful it is also blatant ageism.
No I’m not a retiree.
Not all retirees expect a free ride. They have paid their taxes too remember unlike many of the younger generation may do across their days on benefits.
The taxes are commonwealth levy or do you mean rates?
Last I checked this is a free country and we all should have the right to travel freely and camp freely.
The area is not only an attractant to retirees. International backpackers, surfers, fishermen, weekenders, nomads etc all travel the region.
The majority of people are simply not like this. Most of us are only too happy to contribute – but it need to be fair. What many resent though is paying $50-60 a night for a patch of grass to camp on. Unfortunately many caravan parks have been taken over by the greedy corporate sector and the fees are beyond the reach of folk now.In France overnighting is a low cost option with Council provided basic facilities, and it works really well .In Australia we still have – on publicly owned land – ” this is my territory – keep out” mentality.
So true, even in SA we found the local sports grounds offer free or reasonably priced camping.
Totally agree. We are from WA but currently travelling Australia and always argue that someone has to pay for water, cleaning, rubbish removal however, there is really nothing free anymore. Showgrounds are $30 per night. I think a bit steep and would rather $20 but $30 is better than caravan parks in WA which are the most expensive in Australia even during the holiday periods. The best rv camp that everyone talks about is Kimba which is donation and $2 showers, Look it up. The others are in the NT roadside stops that are totally free but have drop toilets. Take out what you bring in. The south west of WA is horrendous for finding somewhere. How many Showgrounds are there down south?
I live SA and will always stop at Kimba when traveling out that way , it is a fantastic place to rest up.
I don’t really think there is anywhere like a show ground to camp. My partner and I work fly in fly out and literally live in a caravan while in Perth out on the bush because there is nowhere vacant. The more popular a place the least it can offer is my experience.
Those people who camp are spending money at local businesses. Putting money in the communities pocket.
The more it costs them to camp/stay in the region, the less they are putting in the broader communities pocket.
when I’m traveling I don’t expect everything for free I will always gladly pay for a campsite that has amenities that I’m able to utilize, potable water is the big thing and if there is a fee for water I will always pay for it. A lot of us traveling don’t expect it for nothing just a fair price to avoid the Caravan Parks.
Venice and Noosa, and other like tourist magnets are experiencibg tourist fatigue.
Tourists in the past were welcomed. They brought big dollars to the community, which provided prosperity for local businesses and improved facilities in the area.
Towns and residents are feeling resentful, due to mis- and overuse of current facilities and space.
There may be two options:
. Increase the variety of accomodation to cater for the range of tourist preferences for sophistication and budget
. Regulate visitor numbers to a numerical limit by a booking voucher system.
I personally would dislike visiting towns and scenic spots that are highly regulated. Draconian laws and regulations would soon take the joy out of the principal reason for travel…freedom and fkexibility.
Nor would price fixing interest me, as I have experienced in Exmouth.
As a fully contained traveller, with a slide on camper, I do not require much in facilities. So many RVs are built now as self contained, but caravan parks have failed to respond to those changes. They have over capitalised by providing facilities no longer required by travellers.
There’s money to be made, for those who revise their business plans.
By so doing, many of the issues now being experienced by communities, would not exist.
Guys… we are mainly talking about the young camper vehicle contingent who are not “self-contained”… not our Nomad generation!
Provide toilets + dumpsters and the problem is halved, ok?!
Most such o/night spots are away from homes, so a little “duff duff” late at night bothers no one who has learned the Golden Rule : carry earplugs!!
Let’s do everything to keep Oz free… for us and for well-meaning visitors on a budget!
For the most part the suggestion of bins and toilet/ ammenities facilities would greatly improve the situation.
However, re “duff-duff music, perhaps the owners of the music could carry headphones & earbuds to listen to their music .
This would be appreciated by many people who just want to enjoy their settings.
Agreed with last comment …any duffduff should be provide by their own headsets. Leave the peace and quiet for others to enjoy. Also agree with more waste receptacles and basic lay-by areas for self contained mobile homes, which is more easily achieved these days.
Why should anyone think that they are entitled to free camping, who do you think has to maintain the site. Most park site costs have sky-rocketed due to greedy Councils, revised health and safety requirements and the increasing cost of liability insurance.
I’m more than happy to pay a fee to camp.
In our 15 years of retirement travels we’ve found that some of the noisiest campers are oldies shouting over the top of each other at happy hour gatherings.
We worry about them driving, towing a large caravan the following day.
Some of them start drinking at 3pm & finish drinking around 9pm.
Exactly what is the descriptor “illegal camping” defined as ??.
At what point do we become “illegal”, having a stop anywhere to make dinner and a break in the afternoon may or may not be included in this term. If we move on at say 8.30 p.m. have we broken the rules ? . Might be a bit beyond the level of competence of many local council bureaucrats.
Why don’t all the mobile communities just bypass Margaret river and spend our money elsewhere
Create work visas not surfing visas. And get rid of surfkeeper dole .then cater for everyone else at sports ovals with facilities. And donga parks like trailer parks in u.s.a. upgrade infrastructure to support the population in these areas.governments especially concentrate their policies around .regulation.compliance.revenue and control. It’s a government created problem and their ideology can’t trouble shoot .
The real problem is the attitude that prevails down there. If instead of carping on about ‘illegal camping’, there were spaces provided, with water, rubbish & toilet facilities, in the areas deemed to be ‘problem areas, then they would no longer be problem areas. What the council is intending is simply ‘more of the same’. It won’t work. Instead of trying to remain ‘exclusive’ they should be looking at how to become ‘inclusive’.
Agreed
A better solution would be to provide more camping areas. The amount of travellers has vastly increased around the country and we see more and more campers everywhere. The shire needs to address this by providing more areas to camp. Anyone who has lived in this area for a long time has seen how much the tourist traffic has increased. Fines and gates are not the answer.
A much better answer, instead of trying to push travellers away from your beautiful area, would be to find places to have low cost stop over points. These could be $10 per vehicle per night, with the money going towards keeping the spots maintained. They could be at showgrounds as a lot of places do, or at sports venues ( could be a section of the car park as per Roma Gun Club in Qld), relatively unused park land etc, and still be monitored by the Rangers. A number plate based booking system can work for it, with the Rangers inspecting a couple of times per 24hrs at random times to ensure compliance. There will be some ‘stealth campers’ who try to rort the system by getting in late and leaving early, hence random times to check plates against a booking list, but the bulk of travellers will do the right thing knowing they are camping without the risk of being fined and kicked out. Instead of fighting the travel trends, embrace the people coming in to support your local businesses, and leverage them to help remove the issues your having and grow the economy to help those local businesses.
Could the showgrounds be used?
Other ideas are ok but fines ARE the answer. Install daily fines and increase to $500, problem solved.
I appreciate that not all caravaners and motorhome tourists abide by regulations I have witnessed it many times this behaviour makes it hard for the law abiding travellers so I am in favour of strong regulations and penalties for those who blatantly ignore regulations and signs indicating areas of no camping we all have to be aware of the reasons for these regulations we don’t have special rights or privileges it makes it difficult for travellers who do abide by the laws I just think we have a magical country and need to nurture it for future generations not be arrogant if we all do our bit and obey signage we will be preserving the country for future generations and welcomed into towns and communities during our travels please take you waste with you and save our native flora and fauna. Safe travels everyone
MAYBE – Depending of what local community groups you suggest.
& your wording should be to RESOLVE not TACKLE the issue!
YES to councils in providing overflow camping options.
Common sense prevails…..
Space, Infrastructure, Compassion & Action!!! But Australia wide this is not happening.
Im usually not one to share my personal view but my past experience as an as “Illegal camper” has always been neccessary to my survival not because I want to cause havoc to any local community.
Unsustainable rising costs of providing yourself shelter in Australia, unfortunately has led to an increased volume of van/caravan dwellers who are actually homeless (I was one of them for 4 years, I found myself divorced after 38 years, too old to get a morgage & unable to pay weekly 650 rent) Sob story aside….with a duty of care …Councils SHOULD provide for a small maintenace fee a temporary safe space for any Aussie to stop & sleep.
Its a real & yet to be solved problem… I saw workers providing essential services to tourist towns sleeping in their vans on the streets because of no available rentals or accomodation due to large ratio being bnb’s. The chef of your favourite local needs to sleep at night, problem is where!
…I saw working, dutiful & attentive mothers with children having to live in small bongo vans paying caravan parks $455 a week…& that was a cheap rate. They also need a safe spot to park even if its temporary & they know they unfortunately have to keep moving around.
And finally…..Honestly after dedicating their lives to servicing our country, our grey nomads deserve the right to travel & share in the beauty of Australia & not be priced out at $65 to $100 a night for a plug & piece of dirt or turned away due to limited park capacities.
Plan for the future because whats provided is not enough….You asked for input…so an honest opinion submitted!
You nailed it!!
Very well exoressed
I agree with you 100% the public lands in this country belong to the people. Not the government not the council. They have absolutely no right to stop any homeless person from camping on public land. Its all their faults this sh!t is happening
I’m a retired grey nomad, I never dedicated my life to servicing this country.
In fact I hated my job & couldn’t wait to retire.
I retired a few days after I turned 60.
Interesting reading everyone’s comments and suggestions.
I live in Bunno. We have legal free happy camping. This gets abused by folks with non compliant vehicles needing ablution facilities and if not available use a bush or a tap plus overstaying their time limit and taking up permanancy.
Unfortunately this travel thingy that Australians have adopted to has exploded in the last 5 years. Most councils and governing bodies didn’t see it coming. Probs cause they are folks in offices not looking for freedom.
What annoys me as a ratepayer is I am subsidising those who can afford to pay but choose not to and the council I pay my rates to feels that’s OK. Yes, free water, free access to ablutions, free dumping of rubbish and other waste and clean up.
I agree that councils need to get their heads together for a low cost camping solutions not free.
How about installing dump points and garage bins and have care taker come around Colette money people staying there
A lot of those campers are working on the wineries harvesting etc , there’s no where to rent , parks are expensive , rents are worse , time the council got their act together as it’s going to get worse .
Many years since have visited that area. Did not find it a hospitable place. Would be reluctant to return – particularly if they clearly retain their negative views on budget camping. In any case I think the area is over rated.
Margaret river needs alternative low cost areas for people to stay for a few nights.
We are retired and can still afford to stay in caravan parks for 4 weeks of the year like when we were working. But with low cost camping areas we can spend months travelling each year, are we are currently heading to WA from Victoria,towing our totally self-contained caravan. Do you want us to come to Margaret River?
If the council created a free/low cost (not markup river prices) camp area with amenities beside the freeway approx 5 to10km out of town like most towns have done. I agree raise the fines for illegal camping after you provide an options for campers.
i fail to see why any camper would want someone else to pay for their travels . why should councils or communities pay for them . you the travel person are responsible for all your waste .if it cost you so what ..please please look after our country ..
Open overflow with bins.
More free camps as tourist / families do spend money in town on activities,food and fuel. (Limited stay)
Caravan parks and accomodation is too expensive for a lot of families a cheaper alturnative will help.
Not to forget the unorganised leaving bookings to the last minute.
Advertise cheaper options and last minute locatiins may help.
Good luck
I would look at area to open up for RV camping with good facilities with a nightly fee and volunteer camp host live on site during peak periods for any issues and point the campers in the right direction for any requirements they might have within the town, this will bring in income into the town.
As an Outreacher to the Homeless Out Campers around MR I dream of an assessment for the need for a refuge within the shire of AMR and at this point in time with the Federal Government Assistance available I would love to see a Legal Shire Out Camp available all year round as the massive fluctuations in accommodation in this internationally recognised region such as Margaret River. Makes rentals expensive for people of a lower socio economic status.
It also discriminates against our community members who are disabled or disturbed or under the affects of some kind of violence.
Having these facilities available for safe sleep and living while recovering from the affects of homelessness or reestablishing secure and responsible home leasing with the pool of all our community organisations to be able to access theses disadvantaged groups of people for securing permanent housing in the future.
Back in the 70’s and 80’s we could camp in the back of a ute in a swag wherever and there was no one here to complain . You lot were not even here. I’m not paying 2/300 a night when I can camp on the back of a D/Max or a Hilux in a swag.
homeless people are products of society, government, personal tragedies etc, they have given up the fight to own there own place no amount of enforcement or incarceration matters anymore they have to exist somewhere so these public places will be there home this whole situation is all about money you can see in other comments (who should pay ,how much to pay etc)
any worldly travelers will know this is a (world wide) issue and will need smart and innovated people to solve , get use to it for now, but remember they are human beings and deserve respect,
ps, I remember a time when you could camp anywhere in Australia for free ah the good old days
An easy solution is to put in an 72 hr RVCampground for self contained vans with a dump point and charge $ 20.00 dollars a.night. Problem solved.
Sometimes councils create RV stopovers that are so good & popular that they are packed to the rafters 24/7 365 days of the year.
A lot of people ignore time limits & no-one enforces them.
We know a few places that are a waste of time & fuel going to because there’s never any empty sites to set up camp in.