Another New South Wales coastal town is cracking down hard on illegal street campers, and has begun issuing fines to offenders.
Eight vehicles parked on the Coffs Harbour foreshore were slapped with  $75 fines during a recent ‘blitz’ by council rangers.
Coffs Harbour Mayor Denise Knight told the Coffs Coast Advocate that, while it was a concern some visitors were not paying for camping privileges, she was more worried about the visual effect that illegal camping was having.
“In many cases, they are putting black water in our ocean, plugging into the power that is for our community, and leaving areas in a mess,” Cr Knight said. “We work hard to install the no-camping signs because we want people to come to Coffs Harbour and enjoy the foreshore.”
According to the Advocate, local residents had been upset by the sound of music from vehicles parked near public barbecue areas along Ocean Parade, and are also not happy that travellers have been able to enjoy ocean views, use the public amenities, and connect to free wi-fi from the nearby Park Beach Holiday Park.
A couple of the travellers who were fined, English backpackers Freddy Hartley and Joe Jenkins, told the Advocate that they were “respectful” street campers and “hadn’t considered” the option of a $40 powered site at Park Beach Holiday Park.
Holiday Parks and Reserves manager Jason Bailey said the issue of illegal camping wasn’t an easy one to fix.
“It’s something that can’t be policed unless it’s signed, so essentially we end up with a forest of signs to deal with free camping,” Mr Bailey told the Advocate.
* Is the ‘Coffs approach’ the right one? Â Will the risk of a $75 fine be enough to persuade budget campers to pay $40 to stay at a van park?
$40 per night for a powered sight in a caravan park is ridiculous. Most of these RV’s have their own showers and toilets and black water collection. Why not be brave and look outside the square. Welcome these travellers. Put in dump points for their toilets. Encourage them to spend their money in your city or town. Tourism and hospitality are the only growth businesses in coastal Australia. Make the most of it. If tourists are not happy with the facilities your council provides, they will travel on to where they are made welcome.
Fully agree campers bring a lot of money to towns & it is in towns best interest to encourage them by providing necessary utilities
Agree that the $40 per nite is ridiculous, but they should issue them with a warning notice or move on notice. better still, avoid Coffs Harbour, I know I will..
I fully agree. Most vans have grey water tanks have their own power so I dont understand how they sre tapping into the towns power. If caravaners hsve to psy $40 a night they wont have much money to spend in the town. They will be too broke.
No they will not go to a caravan pak & pay $40 a night, Coffs will be come just another known place to by pass, another unfriendly town.
I agree they will not go to caravan parks. $40 per night is enough to put a lot of travelers off as many cannot afford this type of fee. If they want tourists then cater for all levels. When we travel we spend money for fuel, food and drinks, souvenirs and other bits and pieces in the local towns but we will not pay excessive prices for caravan parks.
This is happening a lot in Victoria and in our area they have cut out all free camping and the vans and motor homes are passing through.
plenty of cheaper caravan parks out in the country…$40 is too dear….around $25 is reasonable…
we have bypassed Coffs Harbour twice now as no RV overnight parking for our Longreach. we are completely self contained, why would we want to pay $40 just to stop in a squashed in spot in a noisy caravan park with kids running around everywhere.. Have no problems with the $10/15 grass spots , all we really require is a good location for shopping and nice views if possible.. Also we travel with our two well behaved dogs every winter to the North, not many CPs on the coast allow dogs.
A large percentage of travellers are people on an aged pension. $40 per night does not leave much for food etc. Most caravan parks originally were set up for holiday makers who only spend 2 or 3 weeks in their van, not 52.
Fools are not doing themselves any favors in regards to tourism. Not to mention they’re cutting off their noses to spite the face. If caravan park owners weren’t so greedy they’d get more customers. Hubby and I parked up at a caravan park a short while ago. One that actually showed us how much power we were using. $2.45 a day and that was using fan almost 24/7. So how can anyone justify $35 plus? Besides, the money we spend for necessities is not wanted? Add to that, the fact that the grubs are usually backpackers from overseas. Most Aussies are like birds..We don’t poop in our own nests…RV unfriendly towns will be bypassed and suffer the consequences. Thus lack of tourism and so much more.
It has come to my notice that we humans are worse than pigs. We leave rubbish everywhere or in over filled rubbish bins, to let birds, animals etc. to scatter it wherever the wind may blow. It is very simple, TAKE YOUR RUBBISH WITH YOU and maybe some of these special areas, wouldn’t get like a dump. As for noise levels people don’t mind a free park right next to you and then make a big noise at 5.30 a.m. in the morning (while it is still pitch black), leave the motors running before slamming doors and talking in loud voices. Maybe some of us should take a look at just what we do and how much noise we make with music, banging of doors, talking loud, emitting grey and black water over asphalt as well the free camps, and throwing rubbish etc.
We are meant to only leave our FOOTPRINTS, which means nothing is left behind when we do leave.
Faye do you mean You? or are you just a frustrated caravan park owner or perhaps your a council employee but your remarks are some what bigoted, We as the touring public that inject a large amount of well earned money in to these towns should have a right to use what ever amenities that are provided, Now if it is the Councils job to empty these bins and replace them with new rubbish bags and they dont do there part in keeping there town clean,Well one would think the onus is on them, And i as a regular traveler don,t let my grey black or any other coloured water course through or around other than the appropriate outlets,So Faye if your referring to your own habits i would suggest you do something about your demeanor We as good law abiding travelers should not have to put up with your behaviour
The question IS…
Were any of the people just Pulled up for the Day… {Parking there as there is no where else to park in CH…?}
I do Agree CH is a Town to pass thru…. Especially with that type of attitude…
Bundy is also on the bypass list.. Except for 1 major point…. It’s the best spot to drop in and stock up on the Bundy Supplies..
j
Bundy has a 24hr free camp opposite the airport with flushing toilets and a dump point
Smacks of the Hypocracy of councils who Kow-Tow to a minority. Namely CP owners and operators. What about the rest of the population who benefit from “Tourism” Petrol sales, coffee shops and all the myriad of stuff people buy locally when visiting towns. I was under the impression Coffs is a Tourist town. The council must spend Mega bucks of money from Ratepayers to attract visitors to town. That puts money into business pockets,so why pick on a minority of the Tourists?
As a pensioner grey nomad Coffs Harbour will be on our no go list and marked down on Face Book as a RV unfriendly town. A recent survey in Home Hill Qld a RV friendly town showed traveling nomads spent $40,000 in that town in six months a place 1/10 the size of Coffs. Wake up Coffs
In Sale, Eastern Vict they charged us $17.00 plus power ( $1.08), that was fair why don’t many more parks do this, Toilets where good and nice clean showers.
Maybe you should name the park and drum up some business for them. That is a good deal and they deserve credit for it
We are currently staying at the Sale Showgrounds. And will be here till after Christmas at least.Good people who know what they are doing as regards to running the park. Good access and drive thru sites.for caravans, buses, motor homes and even a few tents.Some stay a couple of days others like us are staying longer. Lots to see around the area. Currently charged $133 per week including power and water
So called free camping has long been an issue in coffs harbour,I cant for the life of me imagine why anybody would want to camp in such an RV unfriendly town,have done four laps around oz have been confronted with violence on three occasions each time in coffs,even police advised me that coffs is a dangerous place to camp,stay away your not really missing nothing.
I stay a lot at Coffs because I have family there. Cannot park in anyone’s yard due to slope. I would stay in their homes if there was somewhere safe to park my Alpine. I am completely independent and do not require to use caravan park facilities. I have all the disabled railing, etc that I require in my Alpine and most parks, even those with the disabled facilities, do not cater well enough; usually with you parked too far away to use; therefore I resent having to pay a large amount. I am in a park this week where they have a solar heated pool and locked separate disabled facilities. Everything I need is within a 100mtr of my parking space. This is costing me $190 for a week. Today I got washing done, had 2 swims and got to relax as I had freshly mown awn all around me. Nothing in Coffs can compare, and when I leave , I can free camp about half an hour from here on the water front. Heaven.
These fines given to foreign backpackers are a joke. They don’t pay the fines and nothing further is done by the SDRO for foreign tourists. The backpackers know this and could amass thousands of dollars in fines for illegal camping. But Australians free camping will be forced to pay the fines or have enforcement action or cancellation of licence/registration for non-payment. These local councils know this too…
Also, only left there last week and all signs that had been previously posted about no motorhome parking, had been removed. So I presumed council had changed their policy. Guess not – just the signs so they could raise revenue.
Why not open a section of the showground or a nearby Park and direct them there……. although I must admit there are some unscrupulous backpackers who only care about themselves and stuff the rest
Are these comments passed on to the Coffs Harbour council? If not they should be.
Love free camping,but some people are pigs and leave rubbish and wipes every where that spoiles it for most campers who do the right thing,so can understand the council for moving them on,but should not fine them.
I have found that in the main the rubbish left at parking areas is left by locals and/or day trippers and on the highways truck drivers. It is rare to see a load of rubbish left by Australian nomads who generally do not foul their own nests. The east coast councils like Coffs deserve to be bypassed. Support the towns who support us.
Whilst Coffs is a great place, we will never stay in the city. So Coffs will be the big loser.
They should take a leaf out of the city of Rockhampton who have set a side a 48 free camp no more than 500 m from the huge Stockland shopping centre on the north side of the city.
Would like to see other major towns and cities follow this initiative.
Well done Rocky.
Why don`t those Big camp clubs EG: CMCA an others Speak up… or give these $40 a nigh plus town the flick,black list them B
I pass through CH often, but would never camp there even in the CPs. The place is certainly not to my liking. Way better parks North and South of this place. About time there was a bypass Road, way too many traffic lights and far too much traffic trying to get from one side to the other. As for the back packer whizz bangers who laugh in our faces about the fines they get and then don’t pay, about time they were forced to pay before departing customs. I say confiscate their passports till fines are paid at the local courthouse. These travellers are one of the reasons why our landscape is blotted with rubbish and no camping signs.
Hello I have just stumbled onto your forum and it has been interesting reading and I agree with most that has been said , Are you a club that i can join. or can i just come on and put my two bobs worth in, love free camping too and yes i can tell a few tails about back packers too MM. ,as we travel on a ver tight budget,at the moment we are in Echuca at a lovely small park just over the bridge in Moama, then it will be Tocumwal and do a free camp on the beach,
thank you
Kind Regards
Marie
You all think CH is expensive, the Sunshine Coast in Qld is a place to avoid, no free camps and all beach parks are owned by Council and in non holiday time are $45 per night for nothing.
Maybe it is time we get together and establish a club that specializes in providing Black and Grey Water facilities at Free Camps. There are many farmers and small towns that are willing to offer Free Camps but can not afford to provide such facilities.
Attended tag football weekend a month ago, went to book in to Cvan park and our vehicle physically too big to fit in Cvan park.($32 unpowered NOT school holidays) What do we do??
Have own shower/toilet/holding tanks – free camp at Yacht club good value.
Spent $150 on food/ $100 fuel/$100 on incedentals. – unfortunatly CoffsH dump point hidden away behind some playing fields to the south.
As a matter of interest – what sort of enforcement applies in relation to the fines issued? Just refuse to pay the fines en mass and see what happens. I would suspect nothing providing the numbers where sufficient.