A community group is pushing for a new RV camping area to be established at Bauple on Queensland’s Fraser Coast, arguing that the region is currently being held back.
Bauple Progress Association (BPA) president Marc Bromet told a meeting of the Fraser Coast Regional Council that Bauple’s recreation ground would be a great place for travellers to stay.
The lease on the recreation ground is currently held by the Bauple & District Recreation Ground Association, but Mr Bromet argued it should be given instead to his organisation.
The Courier-Mail reports that Mr Bromet argued that the existing lease had been ‘responsible for stopping services in our town’, pointing to concerns over sustainable visitor numbers.
He warned another 10 years of the same would result in a loss of tens of millions of dollars for the region.
“No one promotes failure, we do not, you should not, the CEO and mayor as leaders should not … as president of the BPA, I will not,” he told the council meeting. “The economic cost is too significant to the Fraser Coast – this is not thinking economic responsible leadership.”
However, the Courier-Mail reports that councillor Phil Truscott told the meeting that there were already two existing spaces for RV travellers in Bauple and it did not make sense to explore other options for RVs when the two existing sites were seldom full.
“Why spend extra ratepayers’ money when it’s not a problem at the moment?” he said.
Cr Truscott also pointed out the recreation grounds were state land and, as such, there was a long and arduous process that would need to be followed to attempt to get approval for RVs. The Courier-Mail reports that this was likely to be complicated by the fact that the grounds were located near Bauple State School.
Cr Truscott said he was looking to improve the existing RV sites at Bauple, as well as considering looking for other suitable land.
In the end, the council decided to grant a new five-year lease to the existing leaseholders, the Bauple and District Recreation Ground Association, in the hope that the divided community would now work together to plot the best way forward.
Anything run by Fraser Coast Council won’t give you good cheap camping. They seem to be anti camping right through that area unless you go to a caravan park.
Pardon? Howard, overnight at HB info Centre, 2 in Maryborough, 2 in Tiaro, and at Bauple (admittedly needs better facilities). Try getting anything like that around Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
Fraser Coast Council don’t in my opinion try too much to encourage freedom camping or anything close to freedom camping. They tolerate some! They bow down to the paid caravan parks pressuring them. Queensland should have a good look at the free camping in the North of Western Australia. It leaves the rest of Australia so far behind. Just so good and well used. Councils seem to forget that just by getting you to their state or town you are going to spend money in their town.(free camping = more people) You need petrol and food eventually no matter how much you took prepared from home. Who knows even if you are on a strict budget you might just buy a coffee. Believe me buying a coffee just doesn’t stop at a coffee. $5 quickly becomes $10 or $20. We just can’t help it. Takeaways to eat always go well with a coffee. MORE MONEY SPENT! If you attract more people to your town it equals more money spent. Just not at caravan parks.
A great quiet little village and free camp away from the highway and crowd.
Nice scenic drive and view of Mt. Bauple to the west.
Rossendale Park RV Camp is great just as it is for self contained vehicles. All you need for a night or two stay without the crowd.