Camping outrage

By Jared Lycnh
Updated November 7 2012 - 12:18pm, first published December 31 2008 - 11:18am

THEY make a mess, destroy vegetation and ruin community facilities. Public reserve volunteers have had a gutful of illegal campers.Holidaymakers have pitched tents and rolled out swags at Tower Hill, Lake Bullen Merri and Dennington's Payne Reserve over the festive season.Lake Bullen Merri management committee president Kevin Plowman said itinerant campers didn't care that camping was not allowed at the spots.``They are like cowboys. They just don't care for anybody or anybody's safety,'' the Camperdown man said. ``The leave rubbish, push down fences and cut up lawns with their cars. We are a small group of volunteers and like to keep the lawns tidy for children to play on or for the elderly to have a walk. It's not good to find bits of broken glass every where.''Mr Plowman said the number of illegal campers visiting the lake had risen but the management committee was powerless to stop it.``At the moment we just have to wear it. It's not up to us as individuals on the committee to go up and tell someone to put their tent down. If I did that, I'd probably go home with black eyes and a broken nose.``We hope to install `no camping' signs in the near future... then it would be up to local law officers or police to enforce it.''Because of the drought Bullen Merri is the only lake in western Victoria where people can water ski but Mr Plowman said it wasn't equipped for campers."On a hot weekend it is nothing for a couple of hundred people plus to visit the lake. Sometimes we have to pump out the toilet's septic tank twice a day."Warrnambool Mayor Michael Neoh said was better if people camped at established camping grounds.He urged people not to camp at Dennington's Payne Reserve and said there were several council-owned and many privately-run caravan parks in Warrnambool."We have to be mindful not set a precedent where you have 500 people camping (at Payne Reserve) because there are no fees," Cr Neoh said."We also have to look after our tourism operators and not take business away from them."Established camping grounds are a lot better because they have the amenities to cater for campers," he said.Tower Hill has long been a popular overnight halt despite its "no camping" signs.Warrnambool-based Parks Victoria team leader Ailsa Morris agreed with Cr Neoh and said people should use established parks."There are a number of caravan parks in Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Koroit and we encourage people to utilise these parks because it is better for the reserve," Ms Morris said.Campers have also been stopping overnight near Panmure's diving board but Moyne Mayor Ken Gale said it was not a problem if they were self-contained."We have taken the 'no camping' signs down. It's not a problem if people stop for only one night in their vans."It is good for Panmure's economy, the local shop and pub. It only becomes a problem if people start pitching tents and staying for more than one night."

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