A number of campsites at Fraser island-K’Gari will remain closed for the Easter break due to visitors ‘behaving badly’ around dingoes.
Queensland’s environment department says new safety measures will also be implemented following ‘increased aggression by the island’s dingoes’.
The Guluri, Eli, Maheno and Wahba campgrounds are closed until June 30, while the Wathumba and Teebing (Wathumba Spit) sites will be closed until July 1. The ABC reports that a total of 36 areas are still open to public camping and visitation.
The Wathumba campgrounds were originally closed in response to a dingo attack on an eight-year-old boy last month.
A Department of Environment and Science believes visitors breaching rules is resulting in increased negative interactions on the island, and they are concerned more incidents could occur when thousands of holidaymakers visit the island over the Easter holidays.
The ABC reports that last week a Sunshine Coast man and regular visitor to the island was fined $2,000 after rangers spotted him throwing a fish frame to two young dingoes at Orchid Beach.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service said it had zero tolerance for such behaviour and would hold offenders accountable.
“Dingoes on K’gari are not starving and they have access to plenty of natural food,” a spokesperson told the ABC. “Anyone who breaks the law by deliberately feeding or interacting with dingoes or who fails to secure their food and rubbish, can expect a fine or to appear in court.”
In addition to campsites closures, the department said new dingo deterrent fences and community education initiatives aimed to improve the island’s safety.
Acting regional director Stephen Price said the state government would spend $60,000 on infrastructure, including two new fences around the Wathumba Creek camping area and the day-use site.
“We will also be installing food-safe lockers at Teebing camping area as this is heavily utilised by boat campers,” he told the ABC. “Rangers will be conducting patrols of the area including the Bowal, Awinya Creek, Bowarrady Creek, Woralie Creek and Moon Point camping areas.”
My family were lucky enough to experience Fraser Island before it became a tourism hot spot. Days when you could spend all day on the surf beach and not see another vehicle or person. Fish were plentiful on both sides of the island and the tracks were well maintained by the Forestry Department. With a Forestry Department map you could navigate the Island and know exactly where you were by reading the “blaze tree” numbers that were positioned along every track on the Island. I suppose I’m just another old timer yearning for the “good old days”
this is disgusting putting dingo’s before people.
shoot the bloody dingo’s
No
People behave badly so can’t be allowed to visit
Remember the disgusting mess some feral folk left at a beach last month
No wonder places get shut down
Conservation of the Fraser Island-K’Gari dingo is of national importance. Easy fix – permit includes road rules & dingo protocols including knowledge of fines if caught breaking either and signed by applicant as understood prior to access; limit the number of visitors to Fraser Island-K’Gari and above all the park rangers should be constantly checking visitors behaviours.