The battle over illegal camping at The Spit on the Gold Coast has cranked up a gear with a private security company being hired to remove overnight stayers and night-time driving being restricted.
The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that police and security are now regularly patrolling The Spit to pursue illegal campers, and it says the Gold Coast Waterways Authority will monitor the success of recently erected bollards in stop vehicles going off-road at the ‘finger’ at Main Beach.
The Authority’s boss, Hal Morris, says he is under no illusion that the bollards along the finger would stamp out illegal camping and four-wheel-drive issue entirely, but he believes the measures will go some way to addressing the problem.
“To try and address both issues we’ve vehicle traffic so you won’t be able to drive in there between 6pm and 6am,” he told the Bulletin. “I understand if you say you can’t go on to the ‘finger’ people will just move to the main park … but it will be increasingly difficult to do the wrong thing.”
As well as the new bollards, a recent $500,000 makeover has seen roads re-laid, and more than 150 car parks allocated.
Gold Coast City Councillor Dawn Crichlow welcomed the action to move on illegal campers, but says campers may yet be considered in the proposed masterplan for The Spit.
“As soon as they do this masterplan that they’re all talking about for The Spit, the better it will be for everybody,” she said. “The masterplan might say that they might turn a specific area into a campground … our parks are nearly full at the moment, it’s so good.”
* Have you camped at The Spit? Do you think there are enough camping options on the Gold Coast? Do you want to camp at the Gold Coast? Comment below
Personally I go the other way.
But. The law says no camping. it’s no camping.
A quick visit by Parking inspector every night.
with EVERY veh parked there getting a $175 ticket.
Multiple nights. Multiple tickets.
The users will soon get the message.
They are the ones that spoil things for the rest of us.
Better still a ticket for everybody after say 6pm still there..
and a ticket for everybody there at 5.30 to 6AM too.
One for each day. That’s legal.
And a VERY expensive nights rest.
The message will soon get around.
And if they DO start overnighters. Make them ONE night only.so that everybody not just the first ones in, get a chance
if they think it that good.
Gold Coast will never support free camping they have the attitude of “pay or go elsewhere’, after saying that the Spit where these people where squatting was an eyesore and becoming a health hazard with people defecating in the dunes.