The ongoing Covid lockdowns in Victoria have scuppered – at least temporarily – plans to open 27 sites along the Goulburn, Ovens, Broken, Loddon and Campaspe rivers to campers.
The State Government had wanted to have the ‘trial’ campsites on river frontage Crown land ready for the public to access by yesterday,
However, the ABC reports that Covid lockdowns have hindered the process of having the sites surveyed and assessed.
“As soon as Covid restrictions allow, neighbouring landholders who have got licences will have letters issued to them, emails, and even phone calls about undertaking the assessment,” environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio said. “And then, of course, the assessment will determine whether that particular area is appropriate for camping.”
The Government’s plan to allow camping has sparked enormous concern among the farmers who license the land. Their chief concern being that there are a whole host of issues that could be thrown up by granting access to campers they do not know.
The Government received 1,100 submissions on the camping changes. In May, more than 120 Victorian farmers travelled to Melbourne to protest on the steps of Parliament House.
One of those protesters was dairy and beef farmer, Cameron Paton, who owns three kilometres of river frontage on the Mitta River.
“We sow it, we fertilise it, we graze it for a commercial enterprise, so we don’t want to put down a campsite,” he told the ABC. “There’s no rule to say that the camper can’t come in with bikes, dogs and guns and set up and squat when there are public caravan parks in the area screaming for attendance.”
The Government says a 24-hour telephone hotline 13-FISH will be available to farmers to report any problems they experience with campers.
“I would be saying to those landholders to keep that phone number handy because if you do spot some misconduct, the Victorian Fisheries Authority will be operating that 24-hour hotline,” Ms D’Ambrosio told the ABC.
She said the Government was looking at establishing a register for campers but admitted a booking system had not been finalised.
“That will mean that hopefully on the very rare occasion that if a neighbouring landholder believes there has been some misconduct and they report that, it will be fairly easy for us to track the people in question.”
Unbelievable! We are being governed by children.
What a rubbish proposal.
They pay a lease and use the land. No camping should be allowed will only create mess and problems
Watch out for massive increases in Lease charges