The plan to upgrade visitor infrastructure at the Cockle Creek precinct within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is moving ahead … and that looks likely to mean camping fees will be introduced, too.
The Parks and Wildlife Service has lodged a development application with the Huon Council for the upgrades that could see big changes at the tourism hotspot on the southern tip of the Apple Isle.
The upgrades, which are being proposed in response to increased visitation, would include new public toilets, a new visitor shelter, beach shelter and picnic shelter plus upgraded parking.
Last year, the Parks and Wildlife Service’s draft plan to manage the south-west drawcard showed the number of visitors to the precinct had grown by 46.7% over the past four years.
The Parks and Wildlife Service’s said camping fees were also being considered as a way to help offset the increasing management costs.
The Mercury newspaper reports that anti-social behaviour such as vandalism, theft, destruction of vegetation, dumping waste, illegal campfires and conflicts between users also needed to be addressed.
“The long-term and ongoing careless attitude and anti-social behaviour of a minority of campers impacts on the quality of the experience of the place by well-intentioned users,” the plan said.
“The result is escalating management costs for PWS arising from the need for an increased management presence and mounting costs for maintenance.”
Cockle Creek is 130 kilometres southwest of Hobart and 43 kilometres south of Dover and the start and end point of one of Tasmania’s great bushwalks — the South Coast Track.
We were there last week and would have been totally happy to pay fees (separate to the NP Pass). The new toilet was great. If a few people can’t accept taking their own rubbish out with them why shouldn’t the expect to pay for facilities