A legal bid to close down a popular free camping area at Kershaw Gardens in Rockhampton is still before the courts.
The Caravan Parks Association of Queensland Limited (CPAOQL) angered many grey nomads by submitting an application late last year seeking to force Rockhampton Regional Council and the State Government to cease operations at the large camping ground on Moores Creek Rd.
The case was set for its first mention in the Environment and Planning court in Brisbane on February 1 and a review date has now been set down for June 6.
CPAOQL filed the application on December 11 claiming it was “unlawful use” of the land and requested a Material Change of Use of the 2.18-hectare property.
Other requests outlined in the papers filed with the court show CPAOQL also request council erect signs along High St and Moores Creek Rd to advise travellers the free camping was no longer available, along with advertisements about the same advise in media outlets and online.
The organisation has also requested council pay its costs involved in the legal action.
The general manager of the Caravan Parks Association of Queensland, Michelle Weston, earlier defended the organisation’s hardline approach, saying the impact of free camping at Kershaw Gardens has been so huge that it had “no other option” than to go to court.
“We originally raised our concerns about the free camping with council in July 2014 regarding the unlawful use and the impacts on the competitiveness of a number of local caravan park operators,” she said. “In light of the continuation of this unlawful development and in the interests of our members, including local caravan park operators, we have been left with no other option but to pursue remedies through litigation.”
Opening in 2004, the Kershaw Gardens free camp site has been highly popular with grey nomads and other travellers who can stay for a maximum of 48 hours.
Well there not really much to se in Rockhampton anyway. So this will save the Petrol to find that out. Telling us how /where to stay is like restaurants going to cout to stop macdonalds,telling us what we can eat.
Well that’s the pot calling the kettle black! CPAOQL are worried about the effect of free camping on its members? What about the effect extra cabins in their parks are having on other businesses in Rocky, such as motels etc. Bunch of hypocrites.
I agree Richard. We owned a motel in Busselton and the parks came down to meet our prices in the off season. What a miserable bunch of B’s they are. The park we stay at in Broome doesn’t have any onsites; that’s why we stay there.
There has been such a social media backlash already on multiple sites that regardless of whether they win or lose the case they have lost with the damage to their reputation by taking this action. Remember some years back when they convinced the Beattie government to ban overnight stopping in rest area there was such a down turn in road tourism that the government had to beat a hasty retreat. You would think the Caravan Parks Associations would learn from experience but apparently not. Nobody is going to rush into a caravan park in Rocky just because a freedom camp site is closed down.
I also despise Park owners who have installed cabins to take the trade away from their local hotels and motels. then have the audacity to bitch and complain re free camping. I hope the camp in Rocky win and stays open for the betterment of the caravan travelling tourists.
Like you John I too hope the free camp remains,.I would just like to say that because of what park owners are doing ( trying to close free camps and undercutting hotels/motels) I will NEVER stay at an caravan parks in Rockhampton area EVER.
You realize that argument makes no sense. The difference between free camping and cabins in caravan parks is the price. If someone builds a new motel or puts cabins in a caravan park they are charging for the service. Not giving it away for free. That’s called healthy competition. Free camps are run and maintained by local councils at the ratepayer and Local caravan parks expense. Owning a caravan doesn’t actually entitle you stay for free where ever you want. If you owned a café and council set one up down the road from you and gave away free coffee and lunch. How would you feel about that? No difference between that and free camping. In areas that have established caravan parks.
Never had any desire to stay in the overcrowded and mostly overpriced caravan parks certainly not going to stay in one because they have had the opposition closed down.Anyone who wants to stay in your cp will still do so the rest of us will unfortunately for the other businesses in town go elsewhere more accommodating
What Rocky park do you own?
Exactly……….
So just because someone with lots of money wants to make more, then we Australians have no right to use our land? What you are saying is that we must pay for everything, just because someone wants to start a business. Whatever happened to Australia being for all Australians, not just the wealthy. If we follow your logic, soon we will have to pay for using the beaches, and enjoying the scenery, because some business set up to take advantage of that, ie O’Rielly’s in the GC hinterland. We should have the right to be able to stay on Public Land free of charge, as long as we leave it as good or better than we find it.
maybe an email to rocky council showing our support may help in court and outline the fact that we would not be stopping at a caravan park as most of us are free campers and will just keep going without a free camp.
I agree with Malcolm sooooo… come on ALL CARAVANERS send and email to the Shire council mail: enquiries@rrc.qld.gov.au and innindate their email system with your thoughts.
As said previously by Richard! Maybe the Caravan Park Owners should be taken to court by the Motel Association regarding their loss of income from all the cabins most parks are putting up!!!!! Same thing!
Fully agree with all above, Said it before will say it again travel north up the inland route where they want and appreciate your dollars.They dont care where you camp, in fact provide free camps and are glad you stopped for fuel or a coffee. Vote with your feet Rockhampton just does,nt get it. Cheers Stevo.
{aul You must never have been to Charters Towers.
Agree with all. Australia becoming a dictatorship.
If you want to voice your objections regarding the Caravan Parks Association of Qld LTD closure of the Kershaw Gardens, send them an e-mail.
info@caravanqld.com.au
You are kidding yourselves if you think that closing Kershaw Gardens FREE Camp will increase the occupancy rates of the towns’ caravan parks. All your expensive and needless court action will do is push those that may have stopped and spent money in Rockhampton into moving on and avoiding the town altogether. Pretty much ‘cutting off your nose despite your face’.
I feel you have a hidden agenda and that being, to use this as a test case by which to close down all free camping.
Given that we use a mix of Freedom camping and van parks this action has us and many others threatening to boycott Rockhampton altogether. Let’s face it there isn’t much to see or do in the town so I would have thought that any convenience given by the council to attract money to the WHOLE of the town (not just greedy park owners) was a good thing for all. But as usual park owners whinge about their perceived loss of trade. Change your business model and adapt. Park owners put in so many cabins to cash in on the mining boom and now that’s gone, they are whinging. Bet the motels would like to take them to court for their loss of trade due to parks putting in cabins.
We really hope that the courts see the big picture and deny this action. But we won’t be stopping again at any parks in Rockhampton because their attitudes are deplorable and we have stayed at 3 different parks and are not impressed with any. Crammed sites, poor amenities and staff with bad attitudes are just a few of my complaints about these parks.
So WELL DONE Caravan Qld you have cost the WHOLE of Rockhampton a lot of lost business with your pettiness.
I agree with All the above. We will by pass Rockhampton and go where we can Free Camp. They are going to miss out on a lot of business.
They should look into making that free camp bigger , and the shopping centre should look into subsidising it . I went in and spent money in the shops next door and im sure most campers did. It was great to have that chance to shop. Whats going on in this country all big chain stores should provide overnight free camps in the cities. We should be focusing on keeping tourists safe not treating them like lepers. People free camp because its Free. Most oldies on a pension simply cant afford $50 a night for a safe parking spot and access to water.. Come on Australia ! WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS !
Having spent up large in town, not premitted to have my well-travelled dog in the outside area of a coffee shop (council ruling), l stayed at Kershaw Gardens last night.
At 7 am l was woken by a very polite official aski g if l had a toilet and shower in my bus. Toilet, yes. Shower, no. So l was told to move out. I was so shaken that l could not find the A1 through town, and still had very high BP three hours later after finding refuge at Bouldercombe Pub.
The actual misused council requirement is that campers must be able to store their own grey and black water! Not, do you have a shower?
No more Rocky for me either!
Hi we stopped there what a great spot we would spend about $100 in fuel and about $100 to a $150 shopping plus spending more money around the town what great place if it closed we will drive straight through congratulations c p association look what you have done to the other business and we will tell other travelers (Great Job) it’s your choice to have through the roof price l don’t complain so don’t complain about free camping (P S you have parents)
Research has shown that towns/cities that provide a free camp site benefit financially by the trade provided by the free camp site users. Kershaw Gardens, being so close ( 5 minute walk) from a fabulous shopping centre, is the perfect location for this to happen. We have stayed at Kershaw Gardens the last two years on our annual pilgrimage to Mission Beach and have, both times, restocked our caravan from the shopping centre and spent in other businesses in town. If this facility was not there, we would not have stayed in Rockhampton. If the park is closed down, we will bypass Rockhampton and unfortunately, the city will lose our trade. Some people refuse to see the bigger picture.