We were intending to stop off at site number 29 ( Kennedy store) in Queensland tonight only to be told by the lady who runs the store that she has had to cancel the stopover due to council intervention. They accused her of running a caravan park which it's not but they would not listen and threatened to fine her if she continued. So there goes another one. May only be a small one but it's just another example. B & C

Bureacracy is going mad wherever we look. Everyone wants to be the boss of us, and charge for it.
We're over-governed, over controlled, and over manipulated.
Where has freedom of choice gone?
If it was a FREE camp, how can it be a caravan park? Blind Freddy is still running that council.

Who get the GST when you free Camp and how is it collected

Sheba wrote:

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Just Googled Cassowary Coast Council Site, and at the bottom of the page, it states that those camping in any but designated areas, can be prosecuted.

I will follow this up further Tomorrow.

They're not telling me where I can stop overnight.  [Within reason.]

Found where to send them a message tonight.  Below is what I've said.  Will be interesting to see if I get a reply.

" Do you realise how much money you are costing local businesses, by insisting travellers only stop in Caravan Parks etc ?

A large percentage of people, myself included prefer to "Free-camp", and make sure we spend money in places that accept our choice.

Your attitude is costing every-one in your area."

Cheers,

Sheba.

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 Good one Sheba, will probably fall on deaf ears but at least you've given them something to think about.

Anyone who knows of site like this that have changes can contact Phillip Fennel at Camps 6, philip@campsaustraliawide.com 

Dam nice bloke and always acknowledges feedback.

 

Have just advised Phillip of camps book, so at least the changes will be out there but I have to say it all makes me very angry. Have agreat day in spite of it all. I for one am not going to let the powers to be take my joy of travelling away. We found a camp spot for last night just up the road, #28 Thanks Brian

I have just sent off an email to the shire of Cassowary about their non friendly attitude to travellors free parking in their shire, with out being forced to stay at a caravan park,

I am fully self contained in my mobile home and dont need a caravan park under any circumstances,

I also advised them that their very unfriendly attitude would be posted up on all Grey Nomad Forums Australia wide,

It may make them sit up and take notice, But I doubt it,

But there are lot of Grey Nomads and Baby Boomers out there, I am one, So Missing out on a lot of revenue might just go to changing their attitude towards travellers,

Years ago, I was travelling on the coastal highway south in northern Qld, and consulting a Qld Mains Road map saw a rest area near the highway which said it was a 24hr overnighter.

Pulled in there and there were about half a dozen caravans, motorhomes and a bus.  So had a good nights sleep but got up early in the morning and dried the dew off my windscreen and other windows and was sitting in the drivers seat looking at the map.  Next thing I know this ute pulls up and a bloke with a clipboard gets out and starts hammering on the doors of the other RV's and starts writing down their details and speaking to them in a very bombastic manner.

His vehicle was near mine, and he came over and said I know you have just pulled in otherwise your windscreen would have dew on it. (How little did he know, yuk, yuk!).   I showed him my map and said this shows this is an overnight stop, he said I'm sick of those bloody maps, it's nothing to do with them, the shire runs these rest stops.  And off he drove.

A couple of days later I heard on the radio where a shire officer had been assaulted at a rest stop by a tourist in the same area, so I reckon with this bloke attitude it was the same bloke, he was just a bully, anyway I was hoping it was him, although I felt sorry for the tourist as he would have been charged for assault, but I would certainly have understood why, this bloke was a pig!

-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 16th of September 2012 02:04:16 AM

Some times you can be told any story if the person doesn't want you to stay there and it always the council that get the blame ,May be they don't like the look of you or you did not buy any think from there shop . Maybe if you go into the shop buy some goods and ask can I park out the back may get a difference answer

My point Jules why get on the band wagon and upset a council that is supplying Free Camp and then wonder when they stop doing so because people get up them , please stop and think though some of these post before acting .

Forgot about the rooster Jules!

Take a look at my new Post titled:

Cassowary Coast Regional Council Closure Free Camp Site

Oma wrote:

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LAst year when we pulled into Kennedy we were told free only if we spent $10 in store??? Moved up to Bilyana & stopped there last year and again about 4 weeks ago on way home from Cape trip. It is a large area, especially if you go right in beside the railway line. Noise does not worry us - it is either the highway noise or the trains which are much less frequent than semis.

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 When you think about it, $10 is only a couple of ice creams or drinks, or something else, so not a lot to shell out.  If it was us we would probably buy a couple of cartons of ice coffee from them anyway.....