Any grey nomad who has free camped while crossing the Nullarbor, or who has stopped at any of the more popular bush campsites in the Outback, will have come across an all-too-common unpleasant sight … poorly buried human waste.
It’s an issue which, at best, tarnishes what should be a fantastic experience in a pristine environment and, at worst, presents a significant health risk.
And it seems that as more people warm to the camping lifestyle, the bigger the problem is going to become … and the more likely it is the authorities are going to step in.
From the start of this month, Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation has made it mandatory that visitors staying in the Pelican Bay and Dorrigo South camping areas at Inskip Point Recreation Area bring their own portable toilets.
Some campers do not completely bury their waste PIC: Cizza
“The initiative has been introduced to address high levels of bush toileting which poses an unacceptable risk to the health and safety of campers, visitors, and the area’s natural environment,” a spokesperson told the Grey Nomads. “Portable toilets must have a sealed waste holding tank and must be transportable and suitable for emptying into a portable toilet waste disposal facility … bag and open bucket style toilets are not permitted.”
The Department says it is now an offence to camp in these areas without a portable toilet, with an on-the-spot penalty of $464 applying for offenders.
National park rangers will apparently be on patrol to monitor compliance, and to educate campers about the benefits of using portable toilets.
Visitors are also asked to avoid emptying their portable toilet waste into any toilets or general waste facilities in the recreation area. A toilet waste disposal facility is located at nearby Rainbow Beach.
The DESI spokesperson said similar mandatory portable toilet requirements already apply at the Teewah Beach camping zones within the Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park.
While the number of places forbidding the burying of human waste is growing, it is still a widespread practice in the bush … but there is a right way to do it.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service tells campers that, if there are no toilets at a site, they should bury human waste at least 100 metres from streams, and at least 15 centimetres deep … or carry it out with them.
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A portable toilet is a must for modern bush camping, but it is up to NPWS to provide suitable toilets at general campsites within the parks of their responsibility.
Portable toilets that utilise plastic bags are readily available at under $30 at all camping outlets, combined with a pop-up toilet/shower tent, they provide a convenient and hygienic ablution solution. There is no need to force campers to purchase sealed porta-potti units, the major problem is the lack of provision of suitable dump points.
The Parks themselves should be obliged to provide suitable disposal points as a service, after all they expect campers to pay fees for camping.