Grey Nomad Newsletter No. 2- Etiquette section

blaze · Guru

RE: Grey Nomad Newsletter No. 2- Etiquette section

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

I would like to apoligise to all forum member's for getting hot under the collar, but this buisness of fee's being not charged for NT resident's really get's up a wombat's nose, I don't have any money to pay the fee's so being a wombat I just sneak under the fence. (tongue in cheek comment)

Suggest you have a look at aussieranger's web site there are some good pics there and plenty of info re NP's

BTW I agree with my mate Vic, see below biggrin

Vic wrote:

Having been on this forum for awhile though, I can certainly vouch for Wombat as a person of integrity and some considerable intelligence and I don't know of anyone here who would say otherwise.

Hylda&Jon · Guru

I also had a look at your website Gary, I am impressed, it is very well designed & also informative, it must have taken some time to put it all together, well done.

Cheers

Jon

Vic · Guru

gubby wrote:
Vic wrote:
Having been on this forum for awhile though, I can certainly vouch for Wombat as a person of integrity and some considerable intelligence and I don't know of anyone here who would say otherwise.
Wombat?????

Sorry, I had to say it Vic....

Errrrrrr...........I think I must have missed my medication that day Gubby ! confuse biggrin

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Vic wrote:
gubby wrote:
Vic wrote:
Having been on this forum for awhile though, I can certainly vouch for Wombat as a person of integrity and some considerable intelligence and I don't know of anyone here who would say otherwise.
Wombat?????

Sorry, I had to say it Vic....
Errrrrrr...........I think I must have missed my medication that day Gubby !

No you didn't biggrin

jonathan · Guru

hehehe !

.. the 3 tremors are still at it !!

<< womby loves vic loves gubby >>

rockylizard · Guru

jonathan wrote:
hehehe !
.. the 3 tremors are still at it !!

<< womby loves vic loves gubby >>

Gday...

And neither of them have any judgement

Cheers

John

gubby · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
BTW I agree with my mate Vic, see below
Vic wrote:
Having been on this forum for awhile though, I can certainly vouch for Wombat as a person of integrity and some considerable intelligence and I don't know of anyone here who would say otherwise.

Wombat's head will be that big now he'll never get back in his burrow..... disbelief

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

at least I can see better now, not like you wiv your big glasses on a caterpillar head.

BTW, the Av does look a bit like you

kandagal · Guru

As someone who has been a volunteer in NT national parks & looked after camp grounds & collected the fees for their use I have often seen the great efforts some people have taken to get out of paying a very small modest fee - such as hiding behind a tree when I did my rounds.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

kandagal wrote:
As someone who has been a volunteer in NT national parks & looked after camp grounds & collected the fees for their use I have often seen the great efforts some people have taken to get out of paying a very small modest fee - such as hiding behind a tree when I did my rounds.

I have seen that happen and the fee was only $5 that was in Kakadu.

Kakaku is a great place to visit if you have not been then it is a must see, some time ago they did drop the fee's now reintroduced last year, I will drive past Kakadu until they drop the fee's, the cost is not the problem for me, it's the fact that other Australians can get in free and I cannot, I live in the same country as NT resident's I should be treated the same.

Get back in your hole wombat biggrin

johnq · Guru

There is a lot of simmering angst in the community about 'user pays', diversification of taxes and the seemingly endless new regulation that impinges on us. Three levels of government and all are continually passing more laws, extending their areas of influence and seeking more money to pay for it.

At the sharp end where government services are delivered there is similar frustration and exasperation through poor or deficient policy, lack of recognition, lack of support and poor coordination.

Surfacing tensions serves a useful purpose, even where the means to resolve them are apparently beyond our control. There is always the prospect that where enough people take an interest it could filter up the line somehow.

I don't mind paying taxes and fees where the money raised goes to a good cause and value for money is obtained. However I have the conviction that small government is infinitely preferable to what we have now. Years ago I would never have dreamed that I would have to go scouring through departments and semi-autonomous agencies to ascertain what prior approval was needed to travel somewhere, what unique conditions have to be met while there and what fees have to be paid. There are some traps for the unwary too with the onus being on the citizen who know what approvals must be obtained and to start seeking them well in advance.

Nicholstones · Guru

I think one of the problems with the Kakadu fee is that it is 'per person' whereas nearly all other NP fees are 'per vehicle'. We visited kakadu a couple of weeks ago, paid our fees like dutiful citizens but there was no apparent effort at all to check whether we had or not. Given it was 'per person' I don't even see how it could have been checked, we were off on walks most of the time so if a ranger came around they couldn't have asked us, whereas if it was 'per vehicle' they could check if we had a pass or receipt or whatever on the dashboard. I bet hardly any of the backpacker/wicked camper set paid.

As for the Heidi thing in the newsletter, I think it is obviously tongue in cheek, the angel wings/devil's horns things make that pretty obvious.

Dave83 · Senior Member

I don't necessarily agree that Heidi's answer was tongue in cheek - if it was, it wasn't done terribly well in order to make that point obvious.

However, I do believe that it was not necessarily written to be taken seriously, but rather to generate discussion and debate. In that case, mission accomplished!

Good work Heidi. Whether we agree with you or not, you have made us all sit back and think about the issue at hand, and also the issue of how to interpret the written word - when the written word cannot easily express tone.

Cruising Granny · Guru

Maybe an attempt at humour would be best presented by comedy writers.
A couple of contributors to this forum are over-qualified, and would get the appropriate laugh for the message intended.
Let's look at all sides before we jump.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Nicholstones wrote:
I think one of the problems with the Kakadu fee is that it is 'per person' whereas nearly all other NP fees are 'per vehicle'. We visited kakadu a couple of weeks ago, paid our fees like dutiful citizens but there was no apparent effort at all to check whether we had or not. Given it was 'per person' I don't even see how it could have been checked, we were off on walks most of the time so if a ranger came around they couldn't have asked us, whereas if it was 'per vehicle' they could check if we had a pass or receipt or whatever on the dashboard. I bet hardly any of the backpacker/wicked camper set paid.

As for the Heidi thing in the newsletter, I think it is obviously tongue in cheek, the angel wings/devil's horns things make that pretty obvious.

Totally agree with you, I don't object to paying camp fee's, I do object to other member's of our great country getting in free, we should also get in free or NT resident's should also pay the same amout, we spend thousands of dollar's getting to NT and then get slugged on top of that, after all we all live in the same country.

shazartist · Senior Member

I suppose I will get yelled at too.....SO remember not to scream at me!!!! lol...;)

As a Newbie too, welcome Aussie ranger...It will be wonderful to have your professional opinion, and inside knowledge.

I like you, Aussieranger, thought Heidi's post was off target....I believe that people often come to these forums, pages and Newsletters seeking advice and knowledge on how to behave and what to expect while camping our Australian parks.

Also, an etiquette section I believe should really point people in the direction of the correct way of behaving, not confuse them, remember some people reading this are not Australian and have no idea what the rules or etiquette are in our National and State parks.

I suspected it was tongue in check but inappropriate for a public forum, where it was not labelled a joke, Just thought I would put my thought in.
Cheers to all..
Sharon

johnq · Guru

Labeling jokes tends to ruin them and even where such labeling is applied, the offense taken can be doubled (because a joke was made of 'it').

We can all wear our belt a little high at times and depending on what is going on in our lives, be guilty of reacting a little strongly. There is already so much political correctness in Australia that authors must often feel they are walking on eggshells. That has extended to well known comedians and cartoonists. Who can forget the scathing attack on cartoonist Michael Leunig for his 'sexism' - a ludicrous change to anyone who was familiar with his work and aimed at censoring him in the future.

As I newcomer to this site I have found the articles and contributions respectful and diplomatic to a fault. The Heidi post was charmingly naive and humorous, but even if one was in any doubt, the whole tone of the site would have quickly led to the only conclusion possible, that it was in jest.

However, if one were to extend the logic of some of the criticisms being made here it would also imply that the original post should have been ruthlessly culled for flaming of the mods - in many forums it would have easily construed as such - yet the site administrators had broad enough shoulders to let it stand. Good for them, but they are due some respect and benefit of the doubt too. Any apology to them would have been appreciated.

It all proved to be a bit of misunderstanding, however I do hope that it doesn't lead to authors or respondents feeling they must be even more guarded in what they write.

-- Edited by johnq on Monday 5th of September 2011 01:57:02 PM