As the surge in domestic tourism shows no sign of abating, questions are once again being asked about whether some of our natural beauty spots are being loved to death … and they’re being asked with ever-greater urgency.
Veteran grey nomads report their favourite ‘quiet’ camping spots are now heaving, and once serene scenic areas are ‘choc a bloc’ at peak times.
Long-term travellers like Dominic James are keeping their heads down, and hoping things settle.
“We’ll be avoiding the coast and any of the ‘Instagram famous’ places for a while,” he said. “A patch of dirt somewhere in the Outback where we can have a campfire and be on our own will do us for now … the crowds will be heading overseas again soon enough.”
Whether things do ‘settle down’ again is still an unknown, but it seems something might have to be done as the beautiful Outback becomes a victim of its own success.
The rise in national park visitation has been mind-boggling. In 2020, the numbers soared when compared to 2019 and then, last year, they surged again.
In South Australia, Deep Creek National Park on the Fleurieu Peninsula saw visitor numbers rise by 38% on 2020, and 32% more people went to the Eyre Peninsula’s Lincoln National Park than did so in the previous year.
Of course, Australia is not the only country facing these issues, and maybe some of the ‘solutions’ being trialled overseas will eventually find their way here.
Former US National Park Service ranger, Kim Heacox, painted an alarming picture of the situation in America.
“Bumper to bumper, pandemic-weary people came in search of beauty and open space; shoulder to shoulder, they sought solitude and fresh air,” he said. “And what did they find? Traffic, litter, crowds, noise, oppressive heat and long lines.”
The ‘answer’ being rolled out in many of the US’s most popular parks is timed entry tickets. Utah’s Arches National Park, famed for its otherworldly sandstone arches, is the latest to give the system a go as park infrastructure creaks under the weight of visitor numbers.
Visitation to the Arches has skyrocketed 66% over the past decade, and the park sometimes gets so crowded that officials have to close the gates for hours at a time to delay entry.
During high season, visitors to the Arches will now have to reserve a timed-entry ticket for entry in a specified one-hour period between 6am and 5 pm.
“By implementing a temporary, timed-entry reservation system, our goal is to better spread visitation throughout the day to reduce traffic congestion and visitor crowding,” said Arches National Park superintendent Patricia Trap.
No, I am a permanent traveller sticking to Queensland whilst the borders are controlled by COVID visas. I spend a lot of my time in National Parks. They are busy in the main holidays so I avoid them.
Yep but with in reason some you can do in a couple of days good for a break to your destination. Other may take longer if your set up & the NP is set up a week should be good but not for the season
National Parks are predominantly created to protect special places in nature, I don’t think that the animals, birds & plant life care two hoots how long a few oldies in RV’s stay in the designated camping areas.
Yes especially when the np is an island with very limited access. I once read about an island np overseas that was becoming overcrowded and subject to a great deal of plant damage and erosion. The island is now booked out for ten years ahead but does not experience the problems which occur on the very beautiful and special Fraser Island.
Yes, according to demand in peak times. However not to the extent that a visit is too brief to be worthwhile. This may encourage those that want to stay longer to visit outside of school holidays or long weekends.