ABC reports tonight that Broome is finally clamping down (literally) on the backpackers/whizzbang crowd who camp in public areas, streets etc. Council has bought wheel clamps and is starting to use them.
Was NOT popular with young (European) travellers interviewed as they collected their laundry from lines they had strung between trees.
Cheers, Tony
Weedy Pigeon said
05:32 AM Jun 8, 2013
I'll be ringing my local councillor tomorrow to suggest the same action is taken here in Cairns.
barrie said
06:12 AM Jun 8, 2013
It's about time they did somat Cable Beach car park resembles a shanty town
justcruisin01 said
04:10 PM Jun 8, 2013
Bring it on if the caravaners done the same thing they would be fined.
-
Duh said
05:59 PM Jun 8, 2013
I believe one of our councils in Perth suburb of Vincent (they have several beaches under them) are also clamping them now too as the parking and rubbish left by them was getting out of control.
A lady I know is one of those early morning beach swimmers, she told me that she went to go for a shower after her swim and had to step over a male and a female sleeping on camp mattresses on the floor of the ablution block....
GaryKelly said
08:23 PM Jun 8, 2013
Yep, I'm with the council. Rate payers have their rights too, including the right to a clean respectable environment. Remember that 'Keep Australia Beautiful' slogan? Makes sense to me.
herbie said
11:08 PM Jun 8, 2013
I think if you do some reserch you will find Tassie is starting to clamp down on their free camping policies also.
-- Edited by herbie on Saturday 8th of June 2013 11:10:01 PM
blaze said
03:28 AM Jun 9, 2013
If you go to Tassie there is plenty of free/cheap camping spots close to water and also close to c/ps . If I were young again I would travel this great land in a simular vehicle to a wizbang. I don't blame them for staying where they do, You cant change the style of traveling but if the shires supplied a cheap/free camping area next to a beach or water then the problem would go away overnight. As for the rubbish, let me asure you that there are pigs from all area of society and the cheap campers are not the worst offenders. cheers blaze
elliemike said
05:06 AM Jun 9, 2013
blaze wrote:
If you go to Tassie there is plenty of free/cheap camping spots close to water and also close to c/ps . If I were young again I would travel this great land in a simular vehicle to a wizbang. I don't blame them for staying where they do, You cant change the style of traveling but if the shires supplied a cheap/free camping area next to a beach or water then the problem would go away overnight. As for the rubbish, let me asure you that there are pigs from all area of society and the cheap campers are not the worst offenders. cheers blaze
Well Said
Mobi Condo said
03:33 PM Jun 9, 2013
Have witnessed gross & plain thoughtless selfish behaviour all over our great island - usually the "light weight, cheap hire car mob who want to park within a metre because they are fearful of our open spaces" group of tourists. Then again we have witnessed the big tour bus mob which pulled up for lunch at a road side rest area between Kings Canyon and Yulara with the driver saying loudly that ladies to the left and gents to the right over the other side of the sand hill as he proceeded to set up the big BBQ and cook up the spread. Over the sand hill was a the biggest field of paper daisies we have ever seen and spread across the whole swale and for hundreds of metres each way along the swale! That was in July 1995. Individual car behaviour ranges from washing breakfast dishes under the water tank tap left on for the washing duration in a rest area in the dry centre of our great island, through to the public nudity the people think can be practised here 'coz they claim they can do it in Europe, and so on. We have spoken to the tour guides of one USA tour group who asked us to carry out our threat to inform the USA Embassy when we got home as the guide was fed up with the group ignoring his requests. We did so and were assured that it would be tracked down and the persons (whole group) would have their documents duly marked with words to the effect that they would NOT be approved for overseas travel again! Who knows if they did or not! When we complained to the German embassy re the public nudity and antics, we were duly ignored! Anecdotal evidence is even more far reaching and gross than these experiences we have related here. We just make sure we "leave no trace" and speak up where and when we can mindful that some of our friends/aquaintences have been threatened with physical violence for wanting to protect our country side!
Yes! There may well be Very Good Cause for moving folks along!
Cheers Ian & Sally aka Mobi Condo
Weedy Pigeon said
05:02 PM Jun 9, 2013
Mobi Condo is correct. Most of the beaches north of Cairns had so much tissue paper around them that they may as well been regarded as outdoor toilets. We all like to see tourists enjoying themselves but when they show no respect for the local area then they're way out of line and should be either penalised or moved on, preferably during the night when it's most inconvenient for them. I doubt whether most Australians are the problem, from my travels it appears that its the low budget overseas camper who causes most of the trouble.
Duh said
06:08 PM Jun 9, 2013
Biggles mentioned on a thread about the huge number of RV's on the road this year and they are increasing as time goes by. Same goes for backpacker vehicles, there numbers are increasing as the word spreads overseas and Australia becomes a popular and in general a safer destination for them, and I believe it is going to get worse for everyone, during peak season the towns have trouble coping with the influx.
And when we say Councils should provide more free camping etc, it falls back on their ratepayers in towns to pay for these facilities which is a financial burden particularly on small populations at the expense of other services and facilities needed in a town. I have pointed out before about these young overseas tourists paying very high hiring fees for station wagons, campervans, motorhomes etc, with the daily hire rate being higher than overnight fees for caravan parks in an area, so it is only natural they are going to try to find free camping to reduce their traveling costs. Some do need education on not trashing our environment and from what I have seen seem to be the main offenders, however our home grown tourists should know better. Day long distance trippers in cars seem to contribute to a lot of the "bush confetti" and rubbish left at roadside stops as well.
Several weeks ago I was travelling behind a wicked van that was passing a roadside stop with rubbish bins plainly visible, and the passenger threw two presumably empty iced coffee cartons out the window. Maybe hire companies should give them a printed sheet on protocols to follow in Australia on the road.
elliemike said
11:03 PM Jun 9, 2013
I remember in the late 1960's a fair bit of Australia's country roads strewn with beer bottles, pop bottles, broken glass, ciggy packets, etc.
There did not seem to be that many campers on the road then, especially European backpacker types. ?
Wonder who was responsible for the litter then.
I still believe you need to look closer to home for the majority of litter bugs.
Have you ever seen the litter after Australia Day Celebrations. "We love Australia" As long as some one else cleans up after us.
I used to live overlooking the South Perth Foreshore The rubbish left behind by Proud Australians after the Skyshow ended was disgusting. With hundreds of Rubbish Bins and Waste skips strategically placed along the Foreshore and parkland a lot of it was just left where it was drunk from or eaten from.
justcruisin01 said
03:07 AM Jun 10, 2013
& yet another hired wizbang camped here in free area had several t/tissues lying behind the vehicle this morning that were not there last night; when they did surface I suggested from a few mtrs away that he pick up their rubbish, he pointed to their rubbish as much to say ; that! & I said yes. I dont think he was game to walk off while I was watching him. I would think it belonged to the girl & he didn't seem to impressed having to clean up.
ABC reports tonight that Broome is finally clamping down (literally) on the backpackers/whizzbang crowd who camp in public areas, streets etc. Council has bought wheel clamps and is starting to use them.
Was NOT popular with young (European) travellers interviewed as they collected their laundry from lines they had strung between trees.
Cheers, Tony
Bring it on if the caravaners done the same thing they would be fined.
-
I believe one of our councils in Perth suburb of Vincent (they have several beaches under them) are also clamping them now too as the parking and rubbish left by them was getting out of control.
A lady I know is one of those early morning beach swimmers, she told me that she went to go for a shower after her swim and had to step over a male and a female sleeping on camp mattresses on the floor of the ablution block....
I think if you do some reserch you will find Tassie is starting to clamp down on their free camping policies also.
-- Edited by herbie on Saturday 8th of June 2013 11:10:01 PM
cheers
blaze
Well Said
Have witnessed gross & plain thoughtless selfish behaviour all over our great island - usually the "light weight, cheap hire car mob who want to park within a metre because they are fearful of our open spaces" group of tourists. Then again we have witnessed the big tour bus mob which pulled up for lunch at a road side rest area between Kings Canyon and Yulara with the driver saying loudly that ladies to the left and gents to the right over the other side of the sand hill as he proceeded to set up the big BBQ and cook up the spread. Over the sand hill was a the biggest field of paper daisies we have ever seen and spread across the whole swale and for hundreds of metres each way along the swale! That was in July 1995.
Individual car behaviour ranges from washing breakfast dishes under the water tank tap left on for the washing duration in a rest area in the dry centre of our great island, through to the public nudity the people think can be practised here 'coz they claim they can do it in Europe, and so on.
We have spoken to the tour guides of one USA tour group who asked us to carry out our threat to inform the USA Embassy when we got home as the guide was fed up with the group ignoring his requests. We did so and were assured that it would be tracked down and the persons (whole group) would have their documents duly marked with words to the effect that they would NOT be approved for overseas travel again! Who knows if they did or not!
When we complained to the German embassy re the public nudity and antics, we were duly ignored!
Anecdotal evidence is even more far reaching and gross than these experiences we have related here.
We just make sure we "leave no trace" and speak up where and when we can mindful that some of our friends/aquaintences have been threatened with physical violence for wanting to protect our country side!
Yes! There may well be Very Good Cause for moving folks along!
Cheers Ian & Sally aka Mobi Condo
I doubt whether most Australians are the problem, from my travels it appears that its the low budget overseas camper who causes most of the trouble.
Biggles mentioned on a thread about the huge number of RV's on the road this year and they are increasing as time goes by. Same goes for backpacker vehicles, there numbers are increasing as the word spreads overseas and Australia becomes a popular and in general a safer destination for them, and I believe it is going to get worse for everyone, during peak season the towns have trouble coping with the influx.
And when we say Councils should provide more free camping etc, it falls back on their ratepayers in towns to pay for these facilities which is a financial burden particularly on small populations at the expense of other services and facilities needed in a town. I have pointed out before about these young overseas tourists paying very high hiring fees for station wagons, campervans, motorhomes etc, with the daily hire rate being higher than overnight fees for caravan parks in an area, so it is only natural they are going to try to find free camping to reduce their traveling costs. Some do need education on not trashing our environment and from what I have seen seem to be the main offenders, however our home grown tourists should know better. Day long distance trippers in cars seem to contribute to a lot of the "bush confetti" and rubbish left at roadside stops as well.
Several weeks ago I was travelling behind a wicked van that was passing a roadside stop with rubbish bins plainly visible, and the passenger threw two presumably empty iced coffee cartons out the window. Maybe hire companies should give them a printed sheet on protocols to follow in Australia on the road.
I remember in the late 1960's a fair bit of Australia's country roads strewn with beer bottles, pop bottles, broken glass, ciggy packets, etc.
There did not seem to be that many campers on the road then, especially European backpacker types. ?
Wonder who was responsible for the litter then.
I still believe you need to look closer to home for the majority of litter bugs.
Have you ever seen the litter after Australia Day Celebrations. "We love Australia" As long as some one else cleans up after us.
I used to live overlooking the South Perth Foreshore The rubbish left behind by Proud Australians after the Skyshow ended was disgusting. With hundreds of Rubbish Bins and Waste skips strategically placed along the Foreshore and parkland a lot of it was just left where it was drunk from or eaten from.
& yet another hired wizbang camped here in free area had several t/tissues lying behind the vehicle this morning that were not there last night; when they did surface I suggested from a few mtrs away that he pick up their rubbish, he pointed to their rubbish as much to say ; that! & I said yes. I dont think he was game to walk off while I was watching him. I would think it belonged to the girl & he didn't seem to impressed having to clean up.
JC.