Grey nomads have long been expressing their gratitude to the country towns that offer them free overnight camping opportunities. However, this is not always considered enough.
Although it offers free camping at Wilks Park, and has dump point facilities, the New South Wales community of Wagga has been coming under fire for not providing adequate parking options for caravans and camper trailers, at least ones that are within easy walking distance of shops and services.
The alleged problem was highlighted by a recent incident in which Sydney based grey nomads, Ian and Irene Hardie, were fined $104 by the council for parking in a privately owned Aldi car park.
Mr Hardie pleaded with Wagga Wagga City Council for leniency explaining that his wife had had a recent arthroscopy and found it difficult to walk long distances … but his appeal fell on deaf ears.
While conceding that parking in Wagga isn’t an issue if are willing and able to walk a while into the city centre, Mrs Hardie told the Daily Advertiser newspaper that it would have been nice to have been given some leniency
“The people who work in council have to get off their high horse,” she said. “They have got to have a bit of consideration.”
A council spokesman confirmed that the privately owned car park was patrolled under agreement to ensure adequate spaces were available for businesses located within that precinct at the request of the owner.
“Camper trailers are permitted to park within any car park or can utilise on-street parking, provided the vehicle and trailer are parked correctly,” he told the Daily Advertiser. “A vehicle towing a trailer is permitted to take up more than one parking bay, provided they are not using more bays than necessary and adhere to any time limits that may apply to that particular park.”
According to the NSW Office of State Revenue, Wagga Wagga City Council generated more than $1 million from 7883 parking infringements in the 2013/14 financial year. Motorists in the town were still slugged close to five times the total revenue collected by Dubbo City Council over the same period, and well above other comparable centres Albury, Orange and Tamworth.
There’s always parking at the tourist information centre in Tarcutta Street. It’s only a block behind the main street.
A couple of years ago, on my way home to Victoria from a trip up north I copped a $440 odd fine for unauthorised parking in a disabled spot even though I had a disabled permit on my windscreen. When I queried it at the council offices I was informed that my permit was expired. I checked it and they were right, by 1week and if I wanted to contest it I would have to deal with the NSW State Revenue Office. Needless to say the fine was waived but Wagga has lost me from ever revisiting.
We live 150ks from Wagga in a small town, when we are heading north via Hume H’way we stop off in Wagga to fill up with fuel, we have always parked in the Aldi carpark shopped in Aldi then across the road to the shopping centre for other items not available in Aldi.Seems like we have been lucky not to get booked so from now on will plan to stop elsewhere.