A boat owner caught in the crossfire about houseboats on the Noosa River over the Christmas-New Year period says the freedom to enjoy the waterways should be protected.
Ross Davies and his wife, Robyn, were enjoying a short break on the Noosa River in their Campercraft trailerable houseboat when controversy broke out about a number of houseboats close to shore at Woods Bay.
Concerns were raised at the time about the shoreline being cluttered, some of the boats being tied to trees, and hoses running from boats to council taps.
Mr Davies said some locals had assumed their boat, and a Campercraft that belonged to a friend of theirs from Victoria, were holiday rentals like some others nearby.
He said their and their friend’s Campercraft had their own onboard holding tanks, cartridge toilets and water storage tanks, and managed their own effluent.
He was unhappy at some of the nastiness he said had been levelled at them and said it would not have been necessary had people bothered to talk to them.
“There were a couple of things that happened that didn’t need to happen,” he said.
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Mr Davies did not wish to comment on the operation of other Campercraft as holiday lets, saying “that’s nothing to do with me”.
He said people concerned about boats on the river should leave it to authorities, such as Maritime Safety Queensland, to do their jobs and enforce boating laws.
He supported some of the changes that had been made on the Noosa River during the past 12 months which had moved on some “hulks”.
But he said he would not like to see restrictions that would prevent people from enjoying a break, responsibly, in a houseboat.
“Our freedoms and rights are being restricted everywhere. It’s always more limitations. You never see change that lessens them,” he said.
He acknowledged it would be a shambles if everybody wanted to holiday on the Noosa River but the numbers had not increased in the past five years, in his observation.
“As far as camping in Woods Bay goes, I’ve been up there a few times in five years. I’ve never really seen it that busy, that area. It’s never been over-used,” he said.
Mr Davies said he and his wife had put their houseboat in the Noosa River a number of times and took care to minimise their impact on others and the environment.
“It’s all about being reasonable and considerate, really. That’s the important thing here,” he said.
“It’s a lovely place to go for a few days, and it’s fantastic to be able to camp so close to Hastings Street and the shops. It’s a wonderful freedom to have.”
