Illegal camping complaints spark council crackdown

Published: November 21, 2020

Another day, another crackdown on illegal campers announced

Just days after we reported on serious litter problems on a ‘once tranquil’ stretch of the Brisbane River to the west of Brisbane, the Gympie Regional Council has announced it is to act following a series of complaints about similar issues caused by campers on the Cooloola Coast.

At a meeting last week, councillors were presented with a plan to increase ranger activity around Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay foreshores to deal with the growing problem. The extra patrols will be conducted from 5pm-7am. Rangers are also to be given the authority to issue verbal and written warnings and, if needed, hand out fines of up to $266. These would be the last resort, with the plan to ‘educate first’.

The Gympie Times reports that there have been 24 formal complaints made to the council about illegal camping at the coast since July 1, but the number of anecdotal complaints is much higher.

And the surge in complaints has not been restricted to the coast. As of last Wednesday, the council had received 86 complaints about illegal camping across the Gympie region. This was up from 51 in 2019, and 43 in 2018.

The Gympie Times reports that the question of where campers can go across the region, and the costs they face, was also discussed in the council meeting.

Councillor Bob Fredman said he did not think the council was ‘under any obligation to offer free camping’.

“It should be user pays … it costs the ratepayers money,” Mr Fredman said.

Cr Bruce Devereaux disagreed.

“The people that free camp aren’t the people that go ‘there’s no fee camping, I’ll go stay at a caravan park’,” Cr Devereaux said. “They travel differently … so the only way you’re going to get the free camping money into the area is to have somewhere for them to go.”

He said that if the council really should to try to find a suitable spot, and that doing so would see travellers bring money into the area.

The  Gympie Times reports that the council reached no resolution on the subject of free camping at its meeting.

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With the main caravan park in Gympie closed anyway there is hardly anywhere to stay, free or not!

I am a free camper the way i look at things council should supply free areas then people like me stay longer and spend more money in the town. If iwas forced to a van park squashed in and over priced i wont stay. I did use van parks till prices went way too high and we were pushed together with little space. If van parks went back to a more realistic price and some more space i think a lot more people would use them i know i would.

Like everything else parks have to pay high rates water power like us all it’s not free

If it’s council Park there are no rates payable!!only power and water most parkes are way overpriced anyway $20.00 shud be the max per nite ,
not $35 and upwards power use wud be bugger all at nite

The were quoted $80 for unpowered site in a park sth of Coffs Harbour about 6yrs back. Around the Tweed area over a $100 per night. Some parks charging $50 -$70 p/n, that’s just for 2 people more for extra adults & kids.
An average park price around $30, some $25p/n. More people will stay & frequent parks @ $25p/n.

They should have to pay to stay to stop the filth left by them

Yes, have the ranger charge the camper for illegal dumping/ waste removal if the site is not left pristine. They will have the rego

Yes charge the people who leave the rubbish but not the ones doing the right thing. Try starting with education of preschoolers. Encourage them to take their packaging and fruit peels home in their lunchbox and dispose of it in the bin at home.

What I see is that most campers don’t leave rubbish particularly if there is somewhere to take it .This policy of take your rubbish with you only works if you provide some kind of disposal point. The big offenders are the back packers who stay way to long and leave a mess. More than ever the numbers are increasing with a shrinking number of places to stay. Instead of closing the areas down there NEEDS to be more options available.
.

Yer you free campers fill up our truck rest bays because your to tight to pay for camping fees so us truck drivers can’t get into our rest bays cause there full of free campers as you call yourselves well here we go you park in our rest bays and you will be fined from now on and we as truckies have the right to ask you to move on if you don’t comply we can take your rego number by photo and dob you in. We need our rest bays for our fatigue management required rest periods. Without us you wouldn’t have food clothes Cara or caravans think about that when your parked up in our rest bays that say trucks only we don’t get toilets and picnic table s in our rest bays.

Totally agree.Free camping not allowed.Most on pension,so can pay like the rest of us do.

Problem is if you on a pension and choose to stay home then you don’t have fuel and sightseeing costs. The people who are out there seeing the country and spreading their pension income around are helping the economy. They still only have same fixed income and choice is to spend it or save it. If they choose to spend it then they have the option pay to a caravan park or pay for food and fuel. Remember they are on a pension so can’t do both. Everyone needs to eat so if they can’t afford to pay for fuel and food then they must stay home. This is not what the economy wants just now. The big issue here is how to teach people to clean up after themselves and that goes back to parenting when children are very young. The biggest problem I see is people wanting their car kept clean and telling children to throw rubbish out the window or put it beside an overflowing bin. This also goes back to society and packaged fast food. If we got rid of fast food and everyone on the road had their plastic box of sandwiches and thermos for tea and similar cold water conrainer as we had when I was doing long distance travelling, no one would be throwing out anything unless it’s accidental. We did pick up a Tupperware container still with sandwiches in it once on a bush track.

Good job Helen,
That was well said, layman’s terms

That is a very fair comment and I know we can not afford to do the travelling we enjoy and pay the very high prices some caravan parks are asking. Free campers the same as backpackers spend money in the Areas they are staying

Spot on mate I think the same way this is why the Mrs & I stick too NSW as there is more free camp sites then any other states

In the West there are many towns that have FREE in town powered parks. Try going further afield. As others have said rubbish is the problem. Overflowing bins and the lack of bins is a major factor. All solved with free or by donation camp areas in towns

GOOD ON YOU BOB .TOTALLY AGREE..

Thats exactly right Suzanne

If you close these areas you will not have people going into these towns.Maybe if you put more bins out there would not be such a problem. (Not that I excuse this behaviour).

More evidence that the councils need to have more suitable and affordable campsites.

If they allow X amount of recreational vehicles to be registered, the state should have accommodation for them.

If caravan parks weren’t so over priced more people would use them

I Agree on van PARKS they are overpriced
why the haven,t put I a area where we only pay for water , and we have our own showets and toylets
all the have 2 do is put in a Dump SITE
and water,
HOW HARD IS THAT ,

Most caravan parks have uncovered sites. These are normally alot cheaper than a powered site. We are fully self contained and don’t need power, just have to top up the water.

Caravan parks don’t offer campfires at each site. The government has sets law in stone. If powered van sites are on the grounds, campfires ere illegal. Most people save their butts off all year for a break and definitely can’t afford caravan parks dictatorship. Almost every caravan park has installed cabins and passed the costs to non cabin users. You soiled your own bed, now lay in it. If we are travelling and need to pull up, I’m going to stay wherever I am and continue safely as soon as I can. Yes it’s disgusting the rubbish, but we the taxpayers need to make a stance against the overpriced caravan parks and publicly name their political contacts.

Have the coin operated tap water dispensers been fixed in Gympie after the crackheads destroyed them 6 weeks ago??

I’m a free camper most of time till I need to recharge battery, wash and a good shower in a caravan park. Some towns open their sports grounds like Sale in vic for a very small fee, pick your spot and showers are clean as well. Caravan parks tend to bite the hand that feeds them but they can’t see that at all. If they’re expensive no stay.

Caravan parks are also places for family holidays, kids everywhere, parents enjoying a drink outside often till late in the evening. They are holidaying, we get it but often for the grey nomad, free camping is a way of having a quiet life, visiting different places where we buy our groceries, get our hair done and eat out where we are able.

The caravan parks are way over price for someone who wants to stay on a weekly basis, the daily cost of a park is up to $80 per night ,over a week the disadvantaged can in no way afford this, no jobs not enough affordable housing ,what do the councils and government expect.supply some free camping. Caravan parks are so tightly packed in and give you no space to swing a cat leter loan a motor home or caravan, trailer. Even the driver reviver spots on the highway have ridiculous no camping signs plastered everywhere, watch the number of caravan collisions and death rise when traveller feel pushed to drive on due to the lack of resting places for tired drivers

They could lower the site charge and put pay as you go power meters in for those that run heaters and air cons 24/ 7

That’s a great idea. Don’t know why they go away when they want to run aircon, microwave and sit watching TV all day in their van.

The caravan parks 15 yrs ago charged between $8-12pn until they turned them into Tourist Parks escalating the prices to $20-35…
Now the prices range up to $80pn now, ridiculous!!!
Legal Highway robbery for the rich… Most Parks are leased off council hence they can rob you legally…

For a country the size of oz, travel and stopping for a day or more , encouraged people to stay. The Tassie town of Ross closed all free camping. The cvan park was $36 for an unpowered tent site. The shops were furious because no one patronized the town. Greedy cvan parks and councils only see rich people in their perspectives. Better a small profit than nothing.

The NT has the right idea. Large open sealed areas regularly along the highway are the go.
No amenities , bins for rubbish , and people go to the local town , patronize and move on.
It is not rocket science but they did teach a monkey to fly in a rocket, so what is their problem.

Kimba Shire offered donation camping with good facilities. They also had a survey which included a request for receipts from what we spent in town.
We dropped over $100 with a pub meal, laundry and shopping. More small towns could learn from this.

Here’s to Kimba SA we regularly traverse from East to WA & Kimba has been a stop for us last 3 trips. Terrific facilities, more currently being built and much needed dollars into a small rural community
They have got it SO right!

I agree with Kimba has got it right I have spent a numerous times traveling back and forward form east west then reverse lovely spot also I support the shops as well it might cost $1.00 for shower its clean also can leave a donation.

Agree with you totally David the Kimba site is magic lovely clean town with friendly country folk,
we always stop there on our way to WA & spend $’s in their town. Love the art work on the grain silo’s probably the best we have seen. Good on ya Kimba teach some of the Qld. Councils how to reward their towns.

we free camp in spots it makes you spend more in the towns by staying in caravan parks your not left with much to spend locally and being in caravan parks your restricted on movements you can’t just walk anywhere like in other camp areas and for people like us who have 4 dogs and 4 cats makes it hard to go into a caravan park

Caravan parks are way over priced, i have a 4×4 van that i’ve turned into a touring unit, apart from toilet i’m self sufficient, which i do have a modern day solution,
So here is my point, my van is 4×4 van is 5m long and 1.4 m wide, that’s 7 sqm, parks seem to be charging $20 per night unpowered and $30 pn powered lets work that out unpowered, $140 per week and $210, i get $40 a day to live on, that leaves me $20 for food 3 meals $6.65 per meal. Yeah right, i can really have gratitude and thanks for that meal, that’s no savings, no new jocks n socks or little extras, really it means i’m stuck in that spot, because i don’t have money to put fuel in the car to leave. My vehicle has solar, to park my car on a piece of land literally costs nothing, but i do realise that the facilities need supply and cleaning, $ 8 per vegihle per night, and what’s with the cost per extra person its a rort and always has been, the vehicle charge is as per registration. My car has 8 seats, but usually it’s only me, not 2 or 3 or 7 others. I’m over doing it hard, I’e had enough of just one more time, and sick of being told just $20, are you serious, that’s $50% of my pay. Be real. Supply needed amenities for the good folks that live in their car, (vehicle) because greed has forced them out of their home, specially due to Covid, and supply needed amenities, and I don’t mean way the hell in out back Aussie away from the beautiful things that make this our home. I’ve owned 3 homes, and your greed as a government sent me bankrupt, and I’m not the only one. As you go home tonight from your job, that pays you handsomely as a gov employee, with 6 weeks holiday pay, 12% super and rdo days sick days and all the benefits sitting in your lounge room with a drink of choice in your hand, take a moment to think about the blue collar workers you have destroyed through greed, that are drinking water from god knows where, eating a tin of baked beans for 3 meals a day, good god i know that you would not even know what a carton of milk costs, i do its $2.45 2L i cant afford it.

Caravan parks are not home sites

You can think that but for some people they are because there is nowhere else to go. In my park there are parolees, dv victims and homeless people and it’s not a permanent living park, the one up the road has homeless people, the next one has parolees. Caravan parks don’t want to out who your really sharing land with but they’re there. Dv services, places like the salvos and department of justice are constantly pulling their checkbook out to pay a caravan park near you.

Go overseas when able and forget about caravans etc in Australia. This why I don’t travel in Aust..
A shame when the caravan park people want to make up their money in one year due to Covid. The square is big think out side it.

The trouble is there are to many Bob’s in Australia earn there money here then take it off shore to give it to another country , why because its cheap. Maybe next time you go overseas stay there get a job and see if you can save enough to come back for a holiday.If more people spent more of their holiday time in Australia maybe the costs might not be as high as they are.

Exactly! Totally relate… I lost my homes I owned too…recently widowed after my husband suicided and hence find myself suddenly homeless with only viable option live in a van! I remember a life I still yearn for, but it’s gone. Mankind has largely lost it’s heart… Yes leave space clean obviously that’s disgusting, but certainly doesn’t represent most people who live in vans… this argument is, like most things, about money… or/And entitled home owners who consider everyone else riff raff….. travel stop wherever you like and leave it pristine should not bother anyone

So true

We free camp and stay in van parks , I just hate them , no room nocamp fire mostky in suburbia , don’t have a issue paying a small fee to cover water or a toilet or showers . But we spend lots in these towns visit there are
Attraction that are not free , enjoy lunch it a pub Neal , top up grocery fuel etc , infact we try to spend a little I. Every town to thank them for there tv friendly status , if there not we sail on last

With the newer caravans with solar power bathrooms and laundry facilities who needs a caravan park with extraordinary prices for equipment the caravans bring themselves. Don’t blame them looking for free camping

Council should provide park bays/campsites along all country h,ways & edge of towns

I travel where I can, and what is affordable. Two of us, two vans are going to Mallaccota early next month. Powered site with ensuite is $40 per night. That is with your own shower and toilet, no squashed into showers like sardines.

Coffin bay want close to $ 950 for powered site for 2 people for one week ( $ 997 ) ..outrageous ..cashing in on the ” high session “” ..No wonder people road side camp … Weston Family …

We sea campe. rs back packers going to toilet right by the river murray they sit on tree branches and dump poop right on river bank paper every where discusting time to charge for camping to stop the pigs f s a

We free camp as much as possible, we are completely set up with solar, large water tanks ect so rarely stay in cramped caravan parks. We wouldn’t be able to afford staying in parks, we would rather spend our money on food, fuel, outings in the towns that offer low price or free camps. Last year when we stayed at Quobba, us and fellow campers spent money in heaps of the shops ie camping shops, Jay car, toyworld, surf shop, friends took their dog to vet so it makes sense to offer cheap camping as businesses will benefit. Grey nomads prefer to stay out of towns away from the hustle and bustle

It’s the same old story no matter what
DON’T DESTROY WHAT YOU COME TO ENJOY

Agree Dot, it’s called respect!

As usual I travel with a van .and worked for councile for over 30 years .I know one park that pays over $65.000 dollars rates council have to pay to clean up after a lot that spoil it for others the caravan parks need to be backed up by councils most Vaners carry their own food and supplies and say they buy local this is a lot of shit .just think of parks that pay rates .nowhere to stay move on

Thank you for posting your ideas and comments. Councils/Shires have to work for every ratepayer. That is make RV sites available in all towns and publicise on their websites.
We caravan, campers would then work out where it is safe and amenities and attractions.
Caravan Parks are cramped unless it is out of season.
Wellington Shire has very good RV Sites in towns. it has the high country and the surf and beaches. Found the towns very friendly.
At Drouin there is an off road rest area a shame there are not more of them along the highways in all states. LOve travelling when we can.

Well done DOTT, simple and succint. Even in caravan parks people seem to think that because they are paying they don’t have a responsibility to keep the amenities tidy for other patrons and pilfer soap dispensers and toilet paper and anything else they can get their hands on.

Well I have been a camper all my life and I also work as a volunteer in the tourist industry information centre in Nth QLD We in our town we had 2 free camp areas.Ones closed down although it was used frequently by overnighters.It closed because people were using the toilets as a RV toilet dump in the public toilets .The other site is self contained people only but the council offered a caretaker free accomodation to police the site.The council empty bins and keeps it tidy.Toilets are locked from sun rise to sunset.It is free camper that are self sufficient and tidy and prestine.But if you don’t have your own toilet and shower on board using the environment to shower with grey water going into our waterways or human excrement into our prestine forest to run down to the reef is not on .I literally saw a trailer load of rubbish dumped next to prestine rainforest and had to ring NP to remove it .No matter whether your day campers or free campers there is money involved to councils through rate payers to police and clean the areas.The comment about money coming in debatable as travellers tend to be self sufficient and don’t always spend big locally .The cost of fuel and travelling fees makes it a tight budget for many Also the caravan park owners you say rip you off they have to pay for running the parks with maintenance water, power and keeping grounds clean and providing facities which does cost.The parks can’t run for nothing .So let’s be truthful.Tbere are many free campers that are responsible but there are some that just disgust me in their behaviour.Good to see a council tough on the ones doing the wrong thing.Camping is a privilege not a right.We make an impact and we should all minimize that impact on our environment as there is always a cost to a community somewhere.There is no such thing really as a a free camp .Anyway why should people pay rates for living in a town when free campers pay nothing towards the maintenance of them being there Our free camp asks for as gold coin donationwwhich I think is fair enough.You do the right thing and your welcome.You do the wrong thing then your not.How would you like some one dumping rubbish in your back yard.Treat every spot with respect and care for it.

I travel a lot and I live in a coastal tourist destination and understand the ongoing problems. I also live as a permanent resident in a caravan park and have seen a change of ownership here four times in the last eleven years, and each owner has been greedier than the previous one. Not only do they gouge the tourists but they have tried to do the same to us residents. We took them to tribunal and won our case several times. This has been an ongoing tribulation as most of us are in our seventies and over, so they think that we’re fair game and can bully us into submission. So you can see that I don’t have much empathy for these people.

Your comment about witnessing a trailer load of rubbish tells me that the culprit must have been a local as nobody would tow a trailer load of rubbish any distance. The penalty should apply to them just as harshly as to any tourist.

I cannot understand your comment about self sufficient travellers not needing to spend locally as a lot are on the road for many months at a time, they have to stock up somewhere eventually. Sometimes businesses have been short sighted and have inflated their prices because they think that they have a captured market due to their isolated locality and word eventually gets around so they get a reputation and travellers avoid them for anything but the necessities. The people that I have spoken to about their spending habits all claim to support locals whenever possible. I certainly do!

I have also witnessed some very successful examples where free camping has co-existed with caravan parks and local businesses have benefited greatly. Bingara, Cowra and Peterborough are good examples. I understand that Bingara CP is council owned but they still have great patronage.

I also disagree about your comment that camping is a privilege. Our forefathers used to camp anywhere. Crown land belongs to the people … not to any locality, however this doesn’t mean that we don’t have any responsibilities. If it’s council land then the local residents and businesses should have a say whether free camping be allowed. Why should caravan parks have a greater say than all of the other businesses?

I’m not claiming that every grey nomad is a saint but I have witnessed a high proportion of (mostly young) campers in makeshift vans/cars/tents that seem to have a total disregard to the environment. I have approached several of these people but have had mixed results. Some were embarrassed whilst others became aggressive. These people that I approached may or may not have become more conscious of their behaviour but what do you do with the next lot that follow?

It certainly is a dilemma!

Since retiring my wife and I have travelled in our van a lot probably one of the best free campsites are at Hay NSW on the River. Brings a lot of money into town I suggest Gympie looks at that model. Local caravan parks always appear to be busy as well

If campers can afford to pay well over $100k for a rig, they can afford to pay site fees.

For me it’s not necessarily about ‘can’t afford to’ but more about their arrogant attitude and not getting value for money. They’re often on busy noisy roads, cramped together and lacking tranquility.

I also take exception to being told that I HAVE to stay in their park. What’s next, not being allowed to make your own cuppa or a sandwich in your own van but be forced to pay for it at the local cafe?

You’re generalising. I’m a aged pensioner and drive a $3,500 old HiAce van with 440,000ks l get a little over $900 a fortnight. I would like to see more of Australia before I pass. Petrol and running repairs are costly but it keeps me going – I can’t afford the expensive park fees. I truly appreciate this great land and I do leave it the way I found it (even better as I pick up the rubbish that inconsiderate campers leave!!). I want my children and their kids to enjoy this country in the way I have.

Now that souds like the attitude of a caravan park owner… What do you think that one day a caravan and four wheel drive suddenly appeared in my driveway… I worked bloody hard to get to where we are now and to be able to travel with a bit of comfort… We stay in caravan parks during our travels and don’t have a problem with that.. If I have been able to save a couple of bucks by camping in a low cost camp or a free camp that may be between towns along the way all the better. Since we went to town one day for ANZAC DAY and left the van at the caravan park only to return to find that the van had been raided by what I suspected were the bogan locals camped nearby it’s been harder to leave the van ” In the safety of the park “.

We are grey nomads and have rarely found camping sites unclean. We have noticed that the people littering are mostly those with no facilities that travel great distances. It makes me cross that toilet paper litters the highway and bushes and can’t understand why they can’t carry garbage bags to put their paper waste in. We have a policy, ,that towns that are not van friendly we spend little or no money and wait till we get to a “friendly town” and spend there. Happy to pay small ,costs for camping but rarely stay at caravan parks due to feeling like you are in a sardine tin. Happy to stay in lion’s club parks or football grounds but we are totally self sufficient and use solar power for everything.

Most caravan parks in outback area’s are reasonably priced dont have all the jumping pads ect that us oldies dont need.l free camp most of the time or stay at showgrounds and the like which are basic and thier fees are affordable. Homehill in qld looks after the grey nomads with there free camp and it is the grey nomads that keep this town alive.parks on the coast are ripoffs NRMA parks included when you pay 50 to 80 dollars a night for 20 sq meters of land to park on the land must be worth millions

Like many have said keep your park fees reasonable and more people will support you. May be introduce a section for people that dont need to use your facilities like power or water but want a safe place to park and charge accordingly like $10 anight

A lot of caravan parks have become greedy in prices over the past few years. (Sure there are overheads & councils have also become greedy with Rates & charges) They were always a family friendly place for holiday makers. Now some have really out priced the affordable family option.
The major problem especially on the coastal strip is with Back packers, parking anywhere & littering, also people need educating about hygiene & toilet habits. Why should Aussies be punished for their bad behaviours. Perhaps councils need to create areas for them & ban them from other free & low cost localities that are enjoyed by RV travellers. Also good rest stops are required for travellers who can not access a caravan park before they close for the day. We have experienced this when travelling a to b, in emergencies or to reach family in a time schedule, not knowing just where you will be for the night etc.

Went to stop there once for an overnight stay, but all of the freeloaders hog all of the site’s for weeks at a time.

There is a saying the early bird catches the worm.
Get there late and you miss out.

What is the difference between a free camper and a squatter ?

Most rubbish in these areas are left by locals who go to a secluded area for drug and alcohol binges have seen this many times camping in free areas. 99% of grey nomads clean there area and take there rubbish with them, they do this so grey nomads can continue using these areas.
I have seen locals throw rubbish every where, and out there car windows , they do not tidy up before leaving ,so others get the blame for their filth. They are just irresponsible grubs.

Who owns the river?

Have enjoyed reading all the comments on this subject but would love to find out how many council owned caravan parks are in the same area as the councils are closing the free camp sites. The council run caravan parks are mostly on crown land and the council does not have to pay rates to themselves (my thinks) so should be cheaper that privately owned caravan parks in the first place. I was lucky to spend a couple of months in 2018 traveling in USA and hired a RV for the period so we could travel through 5 states in the South East. We stayed in RV parks every night and on each occasion it was cheaper if you were self contained. The cost was as low as $12 USD and the most we paid was $40 USD (about $55 AUD) in a site on the beach in Florida. If someone was camping in tents or a non self-contained RV the cost was between $35 USD and $80 USD a night to cover the cost of amenities. If more caravan park in Australia adopted this approach everyone could be happy and we would use their caravan park more often and still afford to spend money in the town to support them.

We travel to get away from suburbia. We enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Australian bush. Caravan parks are not for us. But some people like them. We live in a beautiful country that allows us to choose. Please cherish our freedoms & love our country. We are so lucky.

Queensland could really do with mote national parks if councils won’t come into it. WA has some great council parks that are cheap during peak and free off season QUeesland shpild be encouraging more tourists. What you save on staying in caravan parks goes towards other tourist attractions. Including dinning out etc.

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