“While it is an option, we need to be sure it won’t make things worse by attracting more budget travellers seeking free or cheap places to stay.”

Ms Selvey said the local community ad has raised concerns around illegal camping, and council staff has reviewed data to better understand the issue. A report will be presented to the council on the matter this month.

“Our data shows we’ve issuing more fines, but this is most likely because we’ve been getting tougher with enforcement and it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s been a significant increase in illegal camping,” she said. “We also know not all illegal campers are the same … some are travellers who don’t want to stay in caravan park or campground because they enjoy a ‘nature based’ camping experience, others are people experiencing homelessness.”

And Ms Selvey said the perception that anyone in a van, spending an extended time during the day at one place, was illegally camping was often wrong.

“People travelling in vans are highly visible and currently there are no parking restrictions in our Shire,” she said. “This means visitors (and locals) are welcome to spend as long as they want visiting one of our region’s natural attractions, beautiful beaches, or popular picnic spots, like the Weir.”

The Shire says the solution to illegal camping isn’t as simple as creating an over-flow camping area, and creating an overflow camping area isn’t necessarily simple.  It listed some of the things it needed to consider.

• Where would it go? – An overflow camping area would ideally be located near a town or the beach. It is difficult to identify the best location.  Additionally using a Shire reserve, like Gloucester Park, would limit community access to that public space, while using private land would incur leasing costs which would probably be greater than the revenue.
• Another expense for ratepayers? Overflow campsites need infrastructure such as toilets, waste management, and staffing. Low camping fees may not cover these costs which would need to be subsidised by ratepayers.
• What’s the Impact on local businesses? – Local caravan park owners have expressed concerns that a low-cost overflow site could reduce demand for their established parks, which don’t operate at full capacity outside peak periods.
• Would the illegal campers even use them? A lot of illegal campers simply enjoy sleeping in nature. They’d be unlikely to be use an overflow campsite as they prefer not to stay in formal caravan or camping facilities.
• Could it make things worse? Creating a low cost or basic camping options may may in fact attract more budget travellers seeking free or cheap places to stay, potentially worsening the problem.

Ms Selvey said there was no simple solution to these challenges, and she said the council would be implementing several targeted measures this summer to proactively address illegal camping and the pressures of peak tourism season. These include:

• A newly-dedicated working group will meet weekly to ensure emerging issues are addressed as soon as they arise.
• Monitoring day use hot spots and exploring short- or long-term solutions to help manage their increasing use by visitors. This may include extra infrastructure – like bins or toilet facilities.
• Enforcement, education and communication: Shire rangers will work enforce rules, issue fines, and making sure travellers understand it’s illegal to stay overnight.

# Do you think areas like Augusta Margaret River should offer overflow camping areas when other accommodation is full? Comment below.