There are few things more disconcerting for grey nomads than arriving at a scenic spot to find a beautiful area either covered with litter or its facilities vandalised or defaced.
And it seems even worse when effort – and money – has clearly been recently expended to improve the site for visitors.
A case in point are the three new toilet blocks at Burrawang Reach in Georges River National Park in New South Wales.
The facilities were opened just before Christmas, but have now been vandalised on multiple occasions.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) says the culprits have repeatedly pulled doors off hinges and destroyed locks, likely in the evenings before 9pm.
Burrawang Reach picnic area, Georges River National Park PIC: David Whitaker / DCCEEW
There have now been four attacks at either Burrawang Reach or Skiers toilet blocks near Burrawang Reach picnic area.
NPWS has upped security and installed cameras, and asks anyone with information to come forward.
Some $1.9 million was invested in providing new facilities for visitors at the location.
“The vandalism is extremely disappointing as the new amenities were designed to better cater to the community’s needs and were only open a week before the attacks began,” said NPWS Area Manager, Brendon Neilly. “The repeated violence and destruction of the doors, hinges and locks has been reported to NSW Police who are looking into the matter.”
And the incidents of vandalism certainly aren’t always restricted to the facilities.
The NPWS is also investigating the destruction of rare native trees in a nature reserve south of Bellingen, west of Coffs Harbour.
Rangers found 13 Newry golden wattle trees rammed and uprooted along a 1.2-kilometre span of fire trails within the reserve. Marks on the trees indicate they were destroyed by a vehicle with a bull bar.
Newry golden wattle (Acacia chrysotricha) is a nationally listed endangered plant species found only within a small area of remote eucalypt forest in the Kalang River Valley. The species is found nowhere else on the planet.
NPWS Area Manager Glenn Storrie said foliage on the destroyed trees was still green and fresh, as were the tyre marks and wounds on the trunks, and it was clear the damage was recent and deliberate.
“We are dismayed by such mindless vandalism of precious and endangered native species within a declared nature reserve,” he said. “We believe that between Friday 9 February and the morning of 12 February, someone has entered the reserve and mown down at least 20 native trees along fire trails within the nature reserve.”
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Whilst we were camped at a lovely spot (in Northern NSW) the cleaner arrived complete with tool box to replace the large Stainless Steel toilet paper dispenser reel. She advised us that she loved to see “grey nomads” camped overnight as vandalism only occurred when there were no caravans or motorhomes. She advised us that the damage was being caused by bored locals – Police were certain they knew the culprits, but due to lack of evidence they couldn’t do much about it.
She also surmised a local hotelier was sometimes involved as he believed losing customers to his establishment was caused by free campers.
Best way to stop it, is to ban 4wd’s from going into parks where foliage is being damaged, and make it a walking track instead, they will learn after losing access.
You can ban 4WDs & unregistered trail bikes but they will always break in somewhere as they have done for many years at the Bargo State Conservation Area. Some people just believe they have the right to do what they want.
At a free camp in a forest near Portland VIC we saw two teenagers chopping a brand new picnic table & chairs to pieces while their parents looked on.
They burnt the whole thing on their campfire.
As the A. B. Banjo Patterson poem ”The Man from Ironbark” goes: Their heads were flat, their eyes were dim, they had no brains at all.
And….
You did what?
And what did you do about it
Surely you must have been able to take a discreet photo of their rego # and/or been able to report it immediately to Forestry Dept and the Police ?
Hope you took some video footage and took a rego number. These idiots are total toss pots
They & their parents would have attacked you verbally & physically if you had protested or tried to record them on your phone.
What about placing a couple of motion activated “wildlife ” cameras on nearby tree trunks. They are hard to spot and could collect evidence. Otherwise , put all the local “chippies” under surveillance ,as it sounds like a great way to generate repeat work!
Their are devices now that can tell you where these cameras are hidden.
We were all young and foolish once, I know coming from a small country town that if we did anything wrong our parents knew before we got home and boy wouldn’t we have coped it.
Unfortunately kids are kids but it sounds like these are adults who should not only have some understanding of what is right and wrong but also respect.
As for pulling off toilet doors possibly best to install solid steel doors with welded hinges, if they still want to remove them I’m sure they would find a way but let’s make it very difficult and hopefully deter them.
Stopping trees from being destroyed that is going to be difficult to enforce unless you are present alternative install out of site motion cameras.
Good luck.
Motion cameras would have to be in a steel box as you can buy devices now to show where these cameras are now.
Vandalism seems to be the trade mark of the younger set. When I was a teenager vandalism was rare, but now it’s everywhere, if it’s not graffiti it’s destroying things. One of the worst I’ve seem is a toilet block where all the toilets were filled with concrete mix. What mentality is required to think this is fun. I class these people as dogs peeing on a wheel, certainly nothing any more intelligent that’s for sure
Oh please John, don’t insult dogs. Their intelligent is way above that of these cretins. 🙂
Trail cam for vehicles entering the immediate area.
In a few cases you will find the vandals are probably locals. Their family might have lived in the area for a century , free to bush bash in vehicles, fish, shoot anything that moves, let the dogs off the leash. Blissful freedom – the good old days – and then along comes all those dang Lefty government departments imposing rules like staying out of enviro sensitive areas, camping in designated bays, and to have to book ahead, for a nightly fee and a Park Pass, abiding by fishing regs, not be able to shoot whatever they like, or even carry a gun into a National Park, – and then worst of all encouraging city folks in the thousands to invade “their” bit of freedom in “their” turf. So what do they do ? Smash the infrastructure. May as well have no eco-dunny if there is no door. It’s symbolic damage aka “this place is a mess and antisocial – don’t come here” !.
In this day and age, the government, along with other organisations, gladly install camera’s to monitor people and traffic (neither do they notify the public of such), so for the very small cost of surveillance type cameras, and responsible rangers (or others), to regularly monitor the captured footage, and help identify possible vandals, and prosecute accordingly. I am sure the feedback about monitoring cameras, would be widely accepted. The police, judges and courts, whose responsibility it is to sentence these offenders, need to pick their game up.
All too often, there are ‘keyboard warriors’ who place the responsibility of vandalism on genuine travellers, not the misspent scumbags that are to blame the majority of the time. Being bored is no excuse for this type of behaviour. We need the old type of law and order back.
Bring back the old Good Behaviour Bonds for the young ones.
I have solar security cameras on my farm and my son and I can both view any movement, on our mobile phones, that happens if away. Plus we have a sign advising security cameras, at the front gate.
Obvious cameras mounted out of reach from someone standing on their 4WD roof work as hidden trail cameras can be found with a purchased device. Automatic solar lights that come on when near the vandal areas of buildings with a sign stating the auto lights activate cameras scare offenders off. Unfortunately if they under 16 years nothing will happen to them as police have told me it is a waste of their time as the courts let them off. The old Good Behaviour Bonds need to be employed again for these young offenders. First I would try just signs stating hidden cameras are in use in this high vandal area. I have the same problem as my property on 3 sides borders a NPWS Conservation area so many feel they have the right to pull down my fences & trespass & mow down my vegetation with their unregistered trail bikes & 4WDs. They also feel they have the right to bash you if you complain to them about their bad behaviour or try to photograph them which has happened many times now. The local NPWS have now organised the Police Bike Squad to patrol our property & the Conservation Area one weekend a month which has resulted in a great reduction of these offenders & many fines which could work for you. I find posting any pictures of these vandals & their vehicles on Facebook usually leads to them being named & shamed by others as there is always someone who can identify their vehicle or the person even if they in full motor cross gear with helmet.