As many grey nomads are only too well aware, the amount of rubbish and litter abandoned in national parks and other beautiful parts of Australia can be mind-boggling.
While often it’s a matter of thoughtless campers leaving beer cans laying around, or perhaps a broken campchair, sometimes things are worse … much worse!
Rangers at Queensland’s Mapleton National Park recently asked a long-term illegal camper to leave the park, and he promptly abandoned his belongings and rubbish … leaving a massive clean-up job.
Ranger in Charge Donna Haslam said Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) initially received information from a member of the public about the illegal camp near the Browns Creek Fire Management Trail.
Some of the rubbish left behind at Mapleton National Park. PIC: Queensland DES
“We love seeing people in our national parks relaxing and enjoying nature with their family or friends,” she said. “What we don’t particularly enjoy is cleaning up the mess some campers leave behind, and thankfully it is quite rare to encounter an illegal camper.”
Ms Haslam said that when rangers initially found the illegal camp it was neat and tidy although it appeared the man had been living there for some time.
The illegal camper’s site was kept relatively neat and tidy until he was asked to leave. PIC: Queensland DES
“We left a notice to comply to advise the man that he was illegally camping,” she said. “When we returned to the campsite, we found he had abandoned and trashed it. He also left his unregistered vehicle behind.”
Ms Haslam said illegal camps were a fire hazard, a pollution hazard and could negatively impact on the cultural and natural values of Queensland’s national parks.
“The man had left numerous broken bottles, buckets loaded with faeces and cigarette butts along with plastic waste, chairs, car batteries and polystyrene boxes,” she said. “He also abandoned his barbecue, couch, gas bottles, fuel tanks, clothes, linen, a mattress and a bow and arrow.”
Five rangers spent two days cleaning up the illegal camp, which included two trips to the tip and his abandoned car will have to be towed out of the park.
“It was one of our more unpleasant tasks, but we managed to keep a smile on our faces because we were making sure that area of the national park is clean again,” said Ms Haslam. “The QPWS thanks the people who reported what they thought was an illegal camp in the national park, and I remind people they can be issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice if they set up illegal camps.”
Under the Nature Conservation (Protected Areas Management) regulations, the maximum penalty for littering in a national park and setting up an illegal camp in a national park is $2,875.
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I guess the first thing to have asked should have been – why was he camping there. Clearly he wasn’t flush with cash. Perhaps he had no alternative.
Assistance was probably the best solution. After all, this person was neat previously and cooking on a stove. Doing his best.
This hasn’t done anything except displace the person with a problem to become someone else’s problem.
We would do well to remember that in difficult times past many Australians camped and ate rabbits.
The number of “newly” homeless, former long-term renters, on the Sunny Coast is just heartbreaking.
It’s the same all over Australia. How was someone with no working vehicle expected to move their stuff and where were they supposed to move it too. Poor person had no choice but to walk away from their few possessions. I hope they have found a warm and dry solution.
NO excuse for just walking away and leaving the mess for others to clean up….bloody grub of the first order
What happened to “there but for…. go I”
He/she could have hung around and spoke to the rangers, who are only doing their job, to leave broken glass, rubbish and faeces behind is childish and vindictive.
This is a totally sad situation as stated it was neat and tidy in these times he obviously had no where else to go.I hope after this uncaring situation he was put in he doesn’t feel he has no other options left
How do we know he actually ‘walked’ away from the sight? I hope he wasn’t attacked, taken off some where and his camp sight vandalised.
Unfortunately this is a sign of the times , whilst it isn’t okay for the campsite to be left in this condition for whatever reason, we must ask why do people have no alternative other than to live like this , we spent a fair bit of time free camping around Victoria and in most sites there were people with no alternative other than to set up what is essentially their homes at these sites. We must as a community be more tolerant and look to solving the issues instead of judging and being critical of people who are in these positions.
Nice answer mate
It goes back to our governments not providing adequate care/ support for the vulnerable.
As well it is appalling the number of times we stop and see rubbish bins overflowing and other locations takeaway food containers just disgarded. We all need to do our part, if we just pickup 2 items it will help.
Charleyong. Used to be a lovely family oriented camping spot. Now it’s frequented by illegal motorbikes and huge mounds of rubbish.
Council aren’t interested as they say the land is owned by a utility company.
Two of the worst were rural shire councils. At Rand in southern NSW the council were dumping rubbish in the Billabong Creek, this was a common practice also employed by several farmers. The other (I think still pursued) is the Greater Hume Shire at Henty siting the tip in the Doodle Cooma Swamp.