Illegal campers are being moved on from beach car parks on Western Australia’s south coast nearly every day, according to rangers.
In Albany, about 450 kilometres south-east of Perth, the ABC reports that campers have been parking up for the night in the region’s car parks in ever greater numbers.
While most are tourists who, for whatever reason, are keen to avoid paying fees at registered camping sites or at caravan parks, some are local residents who have been left without a home due to the ongoing rental crisis.
City of Albany manager of public health and safety Scott Reitsma told the ABC there had been a spike in illegal camping over summer.
Even 'No Camping' signs don't always deter travellers. PIC: Cizza
“We do have issues with people setting up camping in public car parks, which is obviously a concern for many people, not only the people that own the car parks, but also the community when they see it,” he said. “It’s not a nice thing to see and doesn’t look great.”
However, he said that a lack of space and availability at caravan parks was a concern.
“We know there are situations where unfortunately, people might not be able to get in, and they’re going to look at other alternatives for where they can stay,” Mr Reitsma told the ABC.
However, he said rangers were also considerate of those who had no alternative but to sleep in their vehicles.
“We are definitely sympathetic to some of the housing issues that are around,” he said. “There are homeless people that are around so we do try and help them … we point them in the right direction for what support services are available.”
However, Mr Reitsma said the majority of people camping illegally in car parks were backpackers.
Rubbish left behind, antisocial behaviour and loud music are among the complaints fielded by the city regarding campers.
Mr Reitsma told the ABC he was also concerned about the way wastewater was being disposed of by some campers.
The city can issue an infringement up to $100 for camping illegally but this is generally seen as a last resort.
“If there are ongoing issues, prosecution could follow as well but, usually, we take an education approach,” Mr Reitsma said. “We talk to people to let them know what options there are … we prefer to work with people and to help them out.”
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Ah yes, those WA towns that can’t find backpackers to work in cafes, hotels, farms and restaurants.
Also, those WA towns that can only provide $50 a night caravan park sites because the corporate owned and branded caravan parks don’t want any other low cost campsites.
Thats dead right..chase em away..don’t let them spend any money..bar em from this..bar em from that..fine em for this n that..
provide them with nil affordable facilities or any type of welcome mat or alternatives…
tell em to move on..go back home..not welcome here..!
Big frogs in the council offices laying down the law..
Tieing bows in red tape and don’t know what they’re for..!
Hear, hear!!
“Not nice to see. It doesn’t look great “…
So sorry that the folk who still want to experience life and do so inspite of not only budget restrictions but also lack of welcome and respect!
And they don’t complain, they’ll just take the memories back home and tell those around them how their expensive, well deserved holiday was.
Meanwhile a report of a dramatic drop in the number of visitors to Australia emerges, causing much concern to the tourism and hospitality sector.
Hmmm …Must be rocket science to those in ‘power’.
We went to WA in1992 and were ripped off then so haven’t been back. Sounds like things haven’t changed
Yes our council bureaucrats that make the laws should take a long walk off a short pier you don’t know your but from your elbow. You are shooting the goose that laid the golden egg grey nomads who are helping to keep towns alive keeping people in jobs. Wake up to yourself councils your not acting in an Australian way.
Hi, avoid the obvious backpacker type of places like local beach car parks, lookout etc. A bit of map work will usually find a minor road with little chance of traffic except the morning school run, or may be bin night.
Cold rainy nights can improve the chances of not annoying the local authorities.
Cheers
Hand out fines to those who throw rubbish around, and those responsible for antisocial behaviour and loud music.
Leave the clean and tidy quiet people alone.
Whether you’re homeless or a traveller or backpacker, sleep is a basic human necessity.
Doesn’t matter how much you outlaw sleep, sleeping will still occur.
Housing and paid accommodation is a luxury for the rich.
100% right there mate if people done the right thing and didn’t throw rubbish around or time take over to place then maybe well you wouldn’t be shunned upon
David Lee Malone
Like I said these councils believe they are the high moral conscience when in fact they should all be sacked and let the poor and middle class rule
It doesn’t matter if its a grey nomad or a backpacker, camping in NO CAMPING areas is illegal. Offenders should be moved on & fined. Age is not an excuse.
Stop ,revive ,survive was the slogan you can pull over and sleep /rest in your car anywhete you like and not be moved on
Too tired to drive & I will fall asleep at the wheel.
So you live across the road from one of these carparks on the beach you must hate it when a car spends the night gee so sad for you but its a public carpark unless it has signs saying timed parking spaces its not illegal councils dont own yes fine those who do wrong thing
I think it’s a backpackers cause the average person what I’ve seen them in my troubles don’t throw rubbish or pull everything out their fans think it’s their home they keep it combined in their vehicle and when they’re finished they leave the site clean the way they found it I can’t see any problem with that but you don’t want 100 bloody people turn up and doing the same thing we seen Amanda on A current affair they pull up beach area pull their stuff out of the fan and take over the footpath it’s not on that’s for locals you treat labels the way you should try them and I’ll treat you the same way
I’m homeless apart from my van and can’t afford the ridiculous fees for just parking in a van park overnight, councils Australia wide are greedy , fining people for every thing and then wonder why they don’t get visitors to their town
If there are places available at low cost then all good but when you get there late in the day, someone with very large vehicles , expensive motorhomes, have taken all the space. Fair go.
Large vehicles park in these places because caravan parks have become so greedy reducing the site sizes to the point where larger vehicles can’t get in. Ours is 8metres and have been denied entry because we are too long. Other times we have booked in and need to do a 6 point turn to park because the roads and the sites are too narrow
If a council rep or cop tells you to move on when your fatigued he or they are liable…
Sleep saves lives..
Yes and No to all that, we on holiday over here for 2 months, we traveling around in our camper, and are responsible pple, we take away what we bring in, eg rubbish ete, and have our toilet as will, yes there are pple who don’t give stuff, your not the only place to put up with it, we get it to NZ, and we still allow freedom camping,and most places do have some kind toilet facilities on them, so my point it’s, yes start allowing pple to stay over nite, if you provide toilets and bins.
I have found so far that NSW is a no no State, eg you can’t this and you can’t do that, by all the signs I’ve seen.
Rave over
Don’t blame all of the rubbish on the travellers. We have seen Locals pull up at a roadside rubbish Bin and dump all their household rubbish filling it to the brim then happily drive off whilst the wind blows their crap all over the site.!
I had the luxury of travelling as an Aussie in the 70’s hitching around Europe,Nth Africa, Middle East(Israel) and over to India … I used to avoid Aussies back then because they had a bad reputation for been animals and drunks then … our culture has only got worse to the point of almost been banned in e.g Indonesia.
That’s why we are raciest’s because we think we’re a cool country but these turn it into a garbage tip … fact !
Some are homeless and have no wear else to go
Good old Albany. Unlike most places around Australia who supply cheaper or free camping they adhere to the big corporates who have escalated fees to such an extent people cannot afford to go there. Shopping for groceries is expensive enough let alone paying caravan park fees. Albany is becoming a place where only the very wealthy can visit for any length of time. You will always get the freeloaders who follow the sun up and down the coast who are filthy in there habits. Make the fines higher like they did in Margaret River region
A hell of a lot of van parks are seriously over priced you get a slab of land the exact size of a van with nowhere to park your vehicle with run-down dirty toilet facilities and I have experienced a lot of theft in van parks what are you paying for? the fines are often much cheaper just make sure you leave with more rubbish than you produced
We were in Albany a few days ago, very few staying in car parks in town, ALL van parks FULL, could only stay 2 nights….Council needs to step up and provide alternative sites to stay, that much is obvious. Park we stayed in was most expensive we have seen since leaving NSW at over $60 per night……STEP UP COUNCIL.
That’s bulshit charge and then bloody prices shouldn’t be anymore in about 15 to $20
And the Federal Government is having a shot at Woolies and Coles. Maybe they should also include Caravan Parks especially in W.A.
The issue is the free loading filth that think the parking areas are also a toilet and garbage disposal sight. They typically spend very little but want the shires ratepayers to pay for their holidays and clean up the mess they leave behind. The biggest problem is backpackers and the entitled that want everything for nothing. There needs to be also unpowered sites for self contained campers, maybe shire sporting grounds etc off the street at a more reasonable cost as is done in a lot of shire areas in W.A..The shires and others should come down hard on the idiots who do the wrong thing and will continue to as there are no consequences.
100% right there
Just spent two months in NZ, they had a huge problem with travellers crapping on the roadside and in the bush. Now all vans if parked up need to be certified self contained with a sticker on the outside of the vehicle to prove compliance. The council’s and regions have provided thousands of free sites to park. Parking in carparks at beaches is also allowed where not signed. NZ had the balls and foresight to tackle the problem. Now travellers can feel welcome and able to enjoy the country, spend money and go home feeling they can recommend NZ as a great place to visit. AU across all states needs to get its act together to come up with a nationally recognised system, implement it and enforce it. Clamp down on the noisy rubbish making rabble and leave everyone else alone to enjoy their travels and spend money in towns and regions.
WA was a police state when I first went there 40 years ago & I recall being harassed by rangers for camping near Esperance even back then. Sounds like nothings changed.
“While most are tourists who, for whatever reason, are keen to avoid paying fees at registered camping sites or at caravan parks“
Who would of thought that would be the case?
But it’s against the law to drive tried you must stop and sleep that is the law of the road
More free camping is the answer or a time zone parking in car parks should be OK 6pm to 7am.
WA would have to be the worst state in Australia when it come to providing services for campers. I will never go back there.
It is utterly ridiculous that in a country this size there is a shortage of available free space.
In NT ,I was fatigued and resting at a way stop and NT Police told me no camping, I said resting.
He said move on, I demanded his details, and told him if I have accident from move on order, my family will know who to sue, and also the safety banter to stop if tired was ignored. There are TOO MANY laws. Councils take away rubbish bins to deter people, all that does is make people dump wherever. Friends in USA are appalled at the restrictions here especially WA and Tasmania.
Your friends in the US must live in big cities. They have more restrictions than most other countries and rangers with full police powers who are quite happy to handcuff campers breaking the rules and bundle them into the back of a police car.
As for WA, and indeed the rest of the country, Wikicamps shows over 5000 totally free camps across Australia plus a similar number of low cost or donation camps and just in the past year of travels, we have yet to pay a cent in camping fees. There are no excuses for turning our iconic tourist areas into itinerant campsites. They can’t do it back in their home countries so why put up with them doing it here.
Having recently spent nearly 5 months in WA (Jul/Nov) going from the bottom to the top we never had a problem finding a place to stay, be it in CP, farm stays, hotel stays, free camping, roadside stops, nature reserves, show grounds etc – and this during a WA school holiday period as well. Using Wiki Camps and GDay Camps App throughout our trip we were never out of a place to stay. Agree, while some CP visited were a little over-priced, having access to power/water and other park facilities after a long day’s haul made for enjoyable breaks in WA.
We just spent 2nights at Bunbury free camp with permit, permits handed out at visitor center and they only have 11 p/n first in best dressed. These were for the back beach carpark and rangers regular patrol. But at least 5 cars would turn up late every evening and disappear by 7am to only return next evening without permits. Given this is a trial system by Bunbury the actions by a few could see the permit beach camping abandoned by council
Looking like WA doesn’t want any campers what with the. Story regarding all people who DO NOT COME FROM WA must pay to visit the national parks
They should rename them State parks
Sorry Bob..you have this wrong. All visitors, incl WA residents and Rate payersmust pay Park fees to certain WA National parks. An annual Parks Pass can be bought at a reasonalbe charge. Discounts given to seniors. The popular Karajini park costs nothing for entry but $15 per night to stay over.
Not if you travel with your pet as we do and have done for over 50 years.
Our mini dachshund pets ( two off) are VERY well behaved .
In all the years we have traveled we have seen children LESS well behaved both in and out of National Parks …
Typically ,it’s the one percenters that ruin it for the vast majority. Anecdotally I don’t have much regard for backpackers, judging from what I’ve seen in free camps. I suppose it’s too difficult for the authorities to work out who has a legitimate reason for camping in a car park as opposed to those just sponging off the local ratepayers and making a mess.
Easy way out is to ban everything. Foreign backpackers need some education on both etiquette and hygiene ( and toilet paper disposal).
What caravan parked around Australia are charging now is outrageous.
They are pushing all and sundry to find alternatives. We are absolutely sick of being ripped off paying up to $90 per night at some places for a bit if electricity and water. Wake up Australia!!!!
WA is a very strange place when it comes to overnight camping and other free camping sites it seems the southern part of WA is the worst for camping illegally but one you head north past Perth there is an abundance of free camps and overnight areas. The local village if nearby usually benefit from campers spending money in town on a meal buy fuel do some shopping etc. I agree with the backpacker problem they are very disrespectful of these public places when camping in fact some are down right pigs the way they defecate throw their rubbish around etc.
More people caravanning, camping heading to fresh air from crowded cities. More commercial facilities are closing because they can’t cover horrendous insurance increases. Best things we can do is create more blockages. Just move on , we already crowded. Luckily more and more small towns are opposite and they benefit greatly.
Governments are to blame. They’re the one’s who came out with this inflation rise and cost of living hike. They’re responsible for most low income earners to live on the streets. They ought to take responsibility. Now these unfortunate people are being harrassed by councils and rangers. They have nowhere to go but have to survive. They should feel to park along coastal areas quietly as long as they keep the areas clean, vandal free. Rentals have doubled there are no accommodation for so many. If govts don’t retract this bogus inflation rise, the least they ought to do is work with people now without accomodation, not harrass then further.