A frustrated resident of a beachside village is calling for a restriction on the number of campers and day-trippers allowed in the area to limit environmental damage and dangerous behaviour.
Paul Winter, who lives in Teewah Beach and is the chair of the Teewah Landowners Association, says visitors are showing little regard to rules about rubbish and vehicles in the Cooloola Recreation Area, between Noosa and Rainbow Beach.
He said the area had become over-popular and was attracting people with no interest in the natural environment.
“Many come with the intention of showing off in their four-wheel-drive, to party and to flaunt the road rules,” he said.
“Long-term families are being run out of the area by threatening and dangerous behaviour, fishermen have been run over and vehicle accidents resulting in death, injury and trauma, impacting on our emergency services, are becoming common place.”
A Department of Environment, Science and Innovation spokesperson said drivers in the area needed to follow the road rules.
“The public is reminded that all road rules apply when driving at Teewah Beach and other access tracks in Cooloola Recreation Area, including drivers following the speed limits and wearing seat belts,” they said.
“Fines and penalties applicable to all road users apply when driving in the recreation area.”
It comes after recent severe storms caused people to evacuate camping zones quickly and abandon their equipment.
The DES spokesperson said its message was simple – “carry it in and carry it out”.
“Most visitors to Teewah Beach and the Cooloola Recreation Area do the right thing, however Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers have noticed rubbish left behind after weather events, particularly gazebos and other shelters, and even portable toilets,” they said.
“With inclement weather over the Christmas and New Year period, rangers saw a significant increase in damaged gazebos being left within camping zones, and this was very disappointing.
“Dumped rubbish spoils the experience for others and negatively impacts the natural and cultural values of the park.
“Beach camping zones along Teewah Beach and the lagoons near Double Island are particularly notorious for rubbish dumping.
“It also means QPWS rangers must redirect resources away from other park management activities.”
Mr Winter said problems with rubbish increased during weekends and holiday periods, with the true extent most evident at high tide when more items washed up along the beach.
He said some of the items found included car parts (fenders, bash plates, mud flaps, awnings), food and beverage packaging, fishing gear, clothing and an increasing number of syringes, vapes, nitro gas bulbs and broken glass.
He said the recent storms were unfortunate but did not alleviate people of their responsibility to remove and dispose of everything at authorised waste facilities.
“Tons of damaged camping gear, rubbish and portable toilets were abandoned,” he said.
“While QPWS have collected an astonishing volume of this rubbish, the rangers are struggling to manage the situation.”
Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.
Mr Winter was critical of the way the Cooloola Recreation Area is being managed, saying visitor numbers need to be restricted.
“DES needs to stop treating the CRA as a cash cow for the government coffers and readjust their management criteria towards more environmentally sustainable practices,” he said.
“Less than 15 per cent of the revenue from permits is reinvested in the area.”
He wants to see the maximum numbers of camping permits reduced from the existing cap of 2250 to 500, and the introduction of numbered campsites to allow offenders to be identified and prosecuted for operating outside the road rules and QPWS guidelines.
He’s also calling to reduce the number of day trip permits to sustainable levels.
“We estimate that daily numbers are reaching into the thousands and that it should be capped at 100 permits.
“The Teewah Landowners Association prepared a ‘Submission on Sustainable Visitor Capacity on Teewah Beach’ in March 2023 and distributed it to all levels of government and other stakeholders (but) there has been very little meaningful response at this stage.”
The DES spokesperson said on-the-spot fines of $154 applied if people were observed leaving rubbish behind in the areas.
“Don’t burn, bury or leave anything,” they said. “This includes any damaged camping equipment and portable toilets – take it to a provided ‘dumpezy’ station or rubbish station, or, better yet, take it home with you and dispose of it appropriately.”
Further information on visiting and camping at Teewah Beach and the Cooloola Recreation Area is available here.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
