The ongoing battle over illegal camping on oceanfront streets on the Gold Coast has taken another twist.
Just weeks after the local council cracked down on overnight campervans on the Burleigh Esplanade, nearby residents claim the displaced vanners are simply driving around the corner and pulling up outside family homes for days on end.
A resident of the nearby suburb of Miami, Michelle Douglas, told the Gold Coast Bulletin that one man had parked his van outside a ‘young family’s doorstep’ for seven days.
“A vagrant is visibly eating, sleeping and dressing in a beat-up Toyota van and insists it is his right to do so,” she said. “This is clearly a lifestyle choice by these individuals, not necessity born of homelessness.”
Ms Douglas says she had a run-in with one of the campers and is begging city leaders to ‘do something about it’.
She would like to see the council create an enforcement team similar to the one in popular tourist spot Byron Shire, which uses number plate recognition technology and issues fines of up to $2200 automatically.
“Please do something about the growing number of travellers being removed from our esplanades and into the local avenues,” Ms Douglas told the Gold Coast Bulletin. “I feel our rates warrant swift action by council to remove these interlopers.”
A council spokeswoman said it was aware of illegal camping occurring at The Esplanade in Burleigh and surrounding locations and is investigating this complaint.
“The City acts on complaint in relation to these matters and conducts regular patrols of this area,” she told the Bulletin. “The fine for illegal camping is $667.”
Burleigh MP Michael Hart told Triple M Gold Coast that people were entitled to park vans and motorhomes on the Esplanade, but proving they were illegally camping was difficult.
And he said sky-high rental costs were at least part of the problem.
“The lack of affordable renting sites is a problem,” he said. “Even the caravan parks are starting to cost.”
No use issuing fines. They don’t pay and enforcement agencies can’t track down offenders. Most of them accumulate masses of “”tickets” before heading back to their own country or another country. I remember couple back packers at Humpty Doo boasting how many tickets they had got and with two weeks left of their holidays they had no intention of paying. Their “van” tgey had bought off another back packer who bought it off another back packer. The van was registered to the first back packer to a back packers hostel The original owner had already left Australia so good luck for law enforcement trying to serve summons on him. No minister wants to tackle the gaps in international licence and on the spot fines
Fines are useless….the culprits will board their flights elsewhere and never ever have to pay up….
Wheel Clamps first..then the fine and release on payment..Simple.
With today’s modern computers etc link these fines to their passports banning them for leaving the country until all fines are paid in full.
Unless the people concerned are behaving badly, then the issue needs to be looked at more closely. Current socio economic conditions are unstable. More free camps, or at least inexpensive areas should be available. I don’t believe the problem is about foreign backpackers ( not enough post COVID-19 travellers yet) , and unlikely to be grey nomads.
Anyone tried renting lately? Prices going up and availability going down.
More tolerance required and more areas made available for short term camping ( sports grounds, show grounds etc)
This is very apparent now in the NSW northern rivers where hundreds of houses are due to severe flooding are uninhabitable and locals are now living in often borrowed, rented, caravans vans and even one couple sleeping in their cabin boat on trailer. Housing is in very short supply and the Fed and state govts need to do more! There is a national housing crisis in much of our nation and rental and house values are over the top due to legislation making housing an investment for those who have the means and casting many into poverty on stagnant wages and inflated costs of living. Yes it has become more a lifestyle necessity than a choice for some to live in their vehicles. It’s easy to criticise this when one is in secure housing but it’s not easy for many in the current economic chasm between those who have home ownership and those without! ‘Jus sayin’
Agree Ross, the Federall Govt needs to step up, they have abandoned Public Housing many years ago hoping the problem would be picked up by Investor housing, But they have hammered Investor Housing with giving the Tennants more rights than the Landlords lately and wonder why us Rental Investors are now seeking a better and easier Investment Port Folio.This is not a solution to the Rental housing crisis in Aus at the moment and I believe this crisus rests with the Federal Govt of the Day!!
Hey Anna, I agree, but no one should be allowed to park their Campers in front of Peoples Houses in City & town streets!!! The respective councils should be allocating areas such as Show grounds, sporting areas low usage, Reserves etc out of towns on the fringe areas etc. And monitoring these areas.
The only way these ‘back packers’ will be held accountable is by council confiscating some of their belongings such as gas bottles, bbq, fridge etc. We all know they won’t pay fines that are issued, but the loss of their equipment could deter them.
what makes you think they are backpackers only?
Your generalisation that they are all “Back Packers” is typical of some one that has no real knowledge of the issues faced by many in these uncertain times, you’ve obviously never been homeless or forced to live in you vehicle for a length of time due to not being able to get accomodation or a job.
That “Confiscation” will most likely be theft under common law and does not manage the issue at hand, more places for these people to go where they have access to facilities and can be monitored would be a better solution.
Most of us older members would remember the days where you could go to just about any show ground & camp for free paying no more then $1 for a shower, this would certainly go a long way to helping out those who are not so fortunate or simply living on a budget and provide somewhere cheap enough to attract them that is relatively easy to manage and monitor.
At least they’re putting money into the local economy.
Sales of canned baked beans, two minute noodles & generic brand bread have sky rocketed.
super glue the door locks when their out
This “problem” has been continuous short decades. It happening in a lot of places.
For example Darwin where travellers, backpackers or whoever just want to camp for a while near the ocean.
There is plenty of space near Darwin along the foreshore where the council could provide basic facilities.
After all…they are visitors and spend money.
But no, the council adopts the boofhead approach, provides nothing and a mentality of big brother fines and lock ups.
Yep this is a nation wide issue, Cairns was the same in the naughties, on any given day there would be a string of door slammers and their occupants going about their daily business, and that was the spot where when a new traveller arrived they would pick up their ride from the departing crew. They spent money in the local cafes and bars plus fuel and groceries and many worked the roadhouses like the Barkley, Cadney Park, Wycliff Well etc etc etc on their trip around the country adding more to our economy.
Most councils are full of NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard) types who can’t see the accumulated benefits these people bring to their towns, too busy with their own financial interests and trying to force everyone into one socioeconomic and their caravan parks.
Obvious solution is to provide for the need and establish areas for camping.
This Australia when all is said and done – not some European overpopulated
ants nest – a boon to tourism and the end of camping humbug.
Fact. Plenty of towns off the coast, small and not so small are grateful for any buck they can get and free camping areas are commonly occupied by even winnebagos who don’t want to pay for overnight park costs and do no harm or mischief to the local community.
Simple solution Councils, the rate payers pay your wages, the Illegal campers dont. I have empathay with a lot of bonifide campers who have been Fire, Flood, or other made homeless, but the councils should not allow them to park up on residential streets, but in fact should designate an area out of a town limits where they can camp till they can move on!!! Where is the councils duty of care to the rate paying residents of its shire???, Clear boundaries have probably already been set for camping in town areas, but councils now dont want to act. I
can I say, If you dont act now, you open up the gates for people like me to come camp in your streets, claim that Im desperate, & clutter up your once beautifull areas!!!
Hey Burleigh Counciler, I have a siple fix for you, revisit your by laws and impose fines as it is stated. Otherwise you risk the situation of losing controll over your durisdiction and local council Area which in turn risks the faith of your constituancy!!! not Rocket science!!!
Get out of your ivory tower and have a think about your rant..
Council ByLaws aren’t worth the paper they are printed on….it would cost council millions in legal fees to fight these people and get collection agencies to try and recoup the money, this is Australia NOT the USA !
If these people are in a lower socio-ecenomic demographic for ANY reason then they won’t able to pay fines now will they… BUT they DO inject money into your local economy buying groceries, fuel, water, using laundromats and other services.
Just may be if councils made show grounds accessible & affordable instead of locking them up or like some have done turning them into money churning caravan parks they could redirect these people there, where they can access facilities that can be remotely monitored & polices as required. God knows even groups like the Salvos, Vinnies etc could access them and provide assistance to help them break the cycle if needed.
Many of the vehicles clogging up Burleigh esplanade belong to the apartment towers. Make developers put in adequate parking for each unit. What is the problem caused by people sleeping in their vans in residential streets? Lucky enough to live in my own home and not have to live in a van or car.
Get rid of the houses , they are blocking my view