Campers along the Murray river please note -

Happy Camper · Senior Member

Campers along the Murray river please note -

Santa · Guru

Victorian officials have a reputation for being over zealous.

Another reason we don't visit the state if we can avoid it.

Over regulated and over rated.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Where would you look to find that rule written?

Bunkerbob · Senior Member

Sometimes, some Governments fine people for all sorts of crazy things. !00% of people will complain while 99% just pay the fine. For the 1% who chose to fight it in court, the Department responsible drop the charge on the day of the case.. Personally, I fight any fine I get if I believe it was erroneous or bull. So far I am 100% dismissed. Magistrates are not dills and they would see right through the zealousness of the ticket writer

Fight it in court.

Bob

ozjohn · Guru

If the regulation says 3 metres and it wasn't, I can't see any over enforcement.
Ozjohn.

Santa · Guru

Most logical (officials) would be content to explain the error of the campers ways and possibly issue a caution, in Vic its a case of show no mercy, particularly if you happen to be from another state.

Having said that we don't know exactly what happened, perhaps there was a verbal exchange with a degree of agro that caused the fine to be issued.

Always have a chuckle when we come across vehicles displaying Vic number plates, if its "The place to be" why do so many of em choose not to be there? biggrin

shekon · Guru

Sorry at this time of the year and the extreme weather conditions, the rangers would be absolutely right on top of things. As the should be.

Cloak · Guru

I must agree with the anti Victoria rhetoric I for one can't wait to get out of here.

But as for the thread topic yes forest and DSE blokes I would say and correct me if I'm wrong have absolutely no customer skills and come from Quangos that are under-funded, out of touch and still steam powered.

We were told to bugger off from fishing in a mountain creek by an aggressive wanker once so we let 2 of his tyres down back at camp.

Poor chap...

freehazzas · Senior Member

I agree some can go way to far with their rules, but considering in recent weeks half of vic was burning and people died, this time im with the ranger.
Cloak, thats just plan stupid and what you did gives grey nomads a bad name. So what if the other guy was a wanker. You just showed yourself to be a bigher one. Now try and let my tyres down and see what happens to you.

Cloak · Guru

Settle down I was 23 at the time so no GN link was made.

lol I wouldn't dare doing that stuff these days.

Point being Vic forest has always been unfriendly and staffed with wankers as has Dept Scorched Earth

freehazzas · Senior Member

Glad you have grown out of it. I have seen some GN that i still wonder about. Lol

jetj · Guru

I'm against anyone lighting fires in dry hot weather for any reason. Safer ways to cook, even a few heat beads in a container would be safer and achieve the same outcome.

Santa · Guru

jetj wrote:
I'm against anyone lighting fires in dry hot weather for any reason. Safer ways to cook, even a few heat beads in a container would be safer and achieve the same outcome.

I agree jetj, there are always alternatives.

Oma · Guru

As retired cane farmers who have had literally hundreds of cane fires lit ( as we did way back when) we certainly know about fires. We will never light a fire in the am let alone in a fire ban season. When a fire is lit at night at least flares can be seen but that is not possible in day light. Coming down the Cordillo track last year passed 3 camper trailers with fires going at 8am. There was a heavy wind & ion a working cattle property!!!

pricey43 · Guru

My daughter works for D.E.P.I in Victoria. Last week she had to ring the farmers in her region and find out how much fire damage they had to their properties and equipment from the recent fires. She was emotionally drained from just listening to some of the farmers' stories, with many of them nearly in tears on the phone as they described their experiences. NOBODY should be lighting fires at this time of the year and good on the Rangers for doing their jobs. These rules are made for a reason.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

pricey43 wrote:
My daughter works for D.E.P.I in Victoria. Last week she had to ring the farmers in her region and find out how much fire damage they had to their properties and equipment from the recent fires. She was emotionally drained from just listening to some of the farmers' stories, with many of them nearly in tears on the phone as they described their experiences. NOBODY should be lighting fires at this time of the year and good on the Rangers for doing their jobs. These rules are made for a reason.

Well said Pricey!

sandsmere · Guru

Well said from me too Pricey .

To the OP , tell your mate to pay the fine and stop lighting fires at this dangerous time of the year .

Happy Camper · Senior Member

Rest easy guys, my mate had paid the fine and learnt a valuable lesson.

He like about 95% of people camping up on the Murray was not aware of the regulations regarding camp fires as its not well publicized.

It had rained the night before he left and - 1. The bush was that wet he almost got bogged getting into the site, 2. The fire was on a clay river bank with no vegetation.

3. The max temp for that day only reached 25 oC & no wind. 4. There was no fire restrictions on that day.

He was fined for his wood pile being within 3 metres of the fire.

If the inspector thought he was in danger of starting a bush fire the fine would have been $10,000.

I only raised the post so that people camping in Vic are aware that there are regulations regarding campfires and littering & are being enforced.

03_troopy · Guru

Thanks Happy Camper, I'm sure if there was a problem with him actually lighting a fire, the ranger would have let him know. Unless anyone has actually seen where the fire was lit, and what the surrounding environment was like, it's pretty hard to make such judgement calls. We did call the ranger on a picnicker out our way however, because he lit a charcoal fire right in the peak of the fires up our way, and in a total fire ban. The fire was also within meters of tinder dry scrub. I told him firstly that it was a total fire ban, and that fires had burnt out an area less than a 500M from where he was, but he didn't seem to be too worried and just mumbled something and kept going. So we rang the rangers.

Tomzys · Senior Member

pricey43 wrote:
My daughter works for D.E.P.I in Victoria. Last week she had to ring the farmers in her region and find out how much fire damage they had to their properties and equipment from the recent fires. She was emotionally drained from just listening to some of the farmers' stories, with many of them nearly in tears on the phone as they described their experiences. NOBODY should be lighting fires at this time of the year and good on the Rangers for doing their jobs. These rules are made for a reason.

Well said, some people don't understand or care until its in their own back yard.

johnq · Guru

How many knew of that 3m rule and can list the restrictions for other Australian jurisdictions? Honestly now, how many can source the notification and authority for it?

I couldn't and it is not something I would have thought to look for. Yet I am very conscious and compliant where fire restrictions are concerned. While ignorance of the law is said to be no excuse, the extensive regulation of citizens (and intrusion into their lives) goes too far. As well, it encourages learned hopelessness, ie people who cannot 'do' for themselves without government 'assistance'. The previous federal government boasted of introducing many hundreds of new laws. But they never said what was so wrong with Australians before they came to power that necessitated hundreds of federal laws to control them.

Re the OP: the Ranger should have respectfully advised the person and built public cooperation, rather than allow his/her power go to his/her head. Public cooperation is worth millions, yet a few officials who abuse their power can destroy what took hundreds of hours of good public relations from his/her colleagues to build.

None of what I said should be taken as a lack of care and concern. I come off the land and respect fire. However it is also timely to say that idiotic 'keyboard green' over-regulation, for example, that prevents farmers from mowing alongside roads and clearing deadwood on the ground, is itself a risk So are pettifogging, bureaucratic rules that demand '3 metres', when all but the foolish (and regulation doesn't work with them anyhow) would understand and apply reasonable distance. I wonder, does the 3m requirement apply to kit and vehicles where one would also expect reasonable judgement to apply. For instance, 3m from a fire accelerant is nowhere near enough. Maybe more regulations then?

-- Edited by johnq on Friday 7th of February 2014 02:32:23 PM

johnq · Guru

I should have said 'learned helplessness'. However in over-regulated, politically correct Oz, 'learned hopelessness' is closer to the mark.

DarylC · Veteran Member

I make myself aware of the rules regarding campfires during fire restrictions & they are all just common sense.
The local firies & rangers are sick of campfires being the cause of bushfires in Victoria. Unfortunately there are careless campers.
Do they let everyone off or let some off & book others or expect people to follow the rules?
I thank the rangers for being on the ball & doing everything they can to prevent more bushfires & keep my friends, family & myself safe.

Vic regs here...
Can I have a barbecue, light a campfire or light a fire for warmth or comfort?
During the Fire Danger Period
YES
But only if:

The wind is not more than 10 kph
The fire is lit in a properly constructed fireplace or in a trench at least 30 centimetres deep
The area within a distance of 3 metres from the outer perimeter of the barbecue is clear of flammable material
The fire does not occupy an area in excess of 1 square metre and the size and dimensions of solid fuel used are the minimum necessary for the purpose
A person is in attendance at all times while the fire is alight and has the capacity and means to extinguish the fire
The fire is completely extinguished before the person leaves

Note that in accordance with the CFA Act, a "properly constructed fireplace" means a fireplace that is constructed of stone, metal, concrete or any other non-flammable material so as to contain the perimeter of the fire. A commercially produced barbecue would be considered a properly constructed fireplace.
- See more at: www.cfa.vic.gov.au/warnings-restrictions/can/

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.