As many grey nomads head north for the dry season, the way we interact with each other at sometimes crowded caravan parks and camping spots will once again be in the spotlight.
For the most part, the Australian camping community has a well deserved reputation for being friendly and considerate. Occasionally, of course, the 10pm ‘quiet time’ is ignored … youngsters get rowdy, groups sit up late talking loudly, music blares out … but these are generally unusual events … or are they?
In other parts of the world, the problems are perhaps more severe. In the northern hemisphere, the summer camping season is about to begin in earnest and the authorities are on high alert for potential issues.
In Canada, for example, police were out in force as this weekend’s May long weekend got under way. Previous issues has even led the province of Alberta to ban alcohol at some campgrounds on ‘high risk’ holidays such as this weekend.
At McLean Creek campground in Kananaskis country near Calgary, police stopped and checked every vehicle. The area is apparently a favourite spot for quad-bikers and dirt bikers and has earned a reputation for rowdy behaviour. The checkstops resulted in the confiscation of beer and liquor, and a few 24-hour licence suspensions.
“It’s definitely not like some of the May long weekends we’ve had over the years,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant, Dave Hardy, told the Calgary Herald. “There’s been a lot of enforcement down in this particular area in the last few years … those that want to push the limits maybe don’t want to come here anymore.”
The Calgary Sun says the temporary alcohol bans were enacted after park officials witnessed increases in vandalism, impaired driving and assaults caused by rowdy drunks that were exhausting resources and infuriating other campers. Incidents requiring enforcement have plummeted by about 90% at all of the provincial campgrounds that have been dry since 2004, according to the province’s Tourism Ministry.
“If you look at the numbers, nine out of 250 campgrounds have a liquor ban imposed,” Alberta’s new Tourism boss Christine Cusanelli told the Sun newspaper. “I think that offers Albertans the choice and the flexibility and these seem to be among our campgrounds that fill up first on the list.”
