A further 20 fines have been issued to people illegally camping in vans as a crackdown on the practice continues.
Noosa Council’s latest blitz with Queensland Police focused on the shire’s eastern beaches, including Victory Park at Peregian Beach, where residents have reported large numbers of campers gathering and leaving a mess.
“Information from locals about where the campers are congregating, dumping rubbish and using parks and gardens as toilets continues to guide our enforcement efforts, both jointly with police and our own routine patrols,” council’s director of regulation and development Richard MacGillivray said.
The weekend blitz also targeted Beach Access 50 at Peregian Beach and Tingira Crescent at Sunrise Beach. A similar crackdown late last month targeted areas around Noosa Heads, with more than 30 fines issued.
The council will also be expanding the 10pm-4am no-parking signage trial at Noosa Spit into other areas to curb illegal camping, including Victory Park and Beach Access 50 at Peregian Beach.
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Mr MacGillivray said the council was working on several fronts to curb illegal camping in response to community complaints.
“We are working with camping website providers and social media platforms to ensure these forums are only circulating accurate information about where travellers can lawfully park overnight in Noosa,” he said.
Council had a range of avenues to ensure the $333 fines are paid, Mr MacGillivray said.
“International visitors aren’t exempt from paying the fines. If they don’t pay, there are means of pursuing that debt through the State Penalties Enforcement Registry and can be flagged with immigration as they attempt to leave or re-enter the country,” he said.
Mr MacGillivray acknowledged that some people camping in vehicles were not travellers but local people left homeless, and that council staff were sympathetic to those facing challenging circumstances.
“There are occasions where our staff come across local people who are genuinely homeless and living in their cars because they have no other option,” Mr MacGillivray said.
“Of course we don’t fine people in this situation, we link them with local support agencies that can offer them safe accommodation and other assistance.
“It’s the illegal campers seeking a cheap holiday and think it’s okay to leave a mess, disrespect our environment and monopolise our parking areas for long periods who we are targeting.
“Our shire offers a range of campgrounds for travellers. They are purpose-built for campervans, offering powered sites, cooking facilities and importantly toilet and bathrooms facilities. It’s at these facilities travellers should be parking up and camping overnight, not our streets.”
