Camping fees for Victorian National Parks

[dplanet]

Nice to know our parks are just parking meters now, revenue raisers...

Agree. Some new parks campgrounds, I recently went through, cost about $12.00 per site / per night; but provide no toilet.

[Hallu]

What can they do when the govt cuts or freezes budget whilst wages/costs continue to rise and services are expected to continue and improve? We voters are responsible for the govt and ideologies we voted in.

Yep unfortunately this is the bitter after-taste of democracy. When you vote for anti-conservation representatives, they tend to go against conservation...

[Lophophaps]

PV now has designated camp and pay sites. It appears that subject to posted restrictions (like a reference area) it is permitted to camp at other locations in a park. Is this correct? I'd expect camping restrictions to be on the website and in park notes. TIA.

[Travis22]

Anyone heard anything more about what will happen in the ANP in general as a whole?

Still no word on any sort of annual pass?

Travis.

[neilmny]

PV now has designated camp and pay sites. It appears that subject to posted restrictions (like a reference area) it is permitted to camp at other locations in a park. Is this correct? I'd expect camping restrictions to be on the website and in park notes. TIA.

Assuming PV=Pretty Valley
This is from the park note - "Dispersed bush camping is permitted throughout the area except within 200 metres of the Bogong High Plains or Pretty Valley Roads".

It seems at this stage that the fees only apply to the Falls to Hotham crossing and the use of the facilities put in place for that product. A sign at the Cope Hut site says camping is not allowed within 100 metres of the official crossing camp site.

[ErichFromm]

Perhaps pv = parks victoria?

I'm still deciding whether I'll even pay. Again Issue for me is not the fee but rather the amount. I can't understand how this can be put through without any consultation or discussion.

[neilmny]

Perhaps pv = parks victoria?

OOPS yes that makes sense....funny how where your near influences how you think

[Lophophaps]

Perhaps pv = parks victoria?

I'm still deciding whether I'll even pay. Again Issue for me is not the fee but rather the amount. I can't understand how this can be put through without any consultation or discussion.

Oops. my mistake. PV stood for Parks Victoria, and my comment was a general one. I looked up one park for two people for one night at a remote spot and the charge was a rather excessive $37 or so. For this we can stay at a caravan park. The better option seems to be to obtain water from the official camp site and camp 500 metres away.

I agree, the issue is not the fee but the amount. The fee for one night in Victoria is on par with a six week pass in Tassie. Can't recall the amount.

Victoria has an election in two days. I may vote Socialist. The Sex Party sounds like fun.

[Snowzone]

Anyone heard anything more about what will happen in the ANP in general as a whole?

Still no word on any sort of annual pass?

Travis.

No word at all on an annual pass Travis. Good suggestions such as this have been completely ignored by government. Responses from my local members have been constantly to pass the buck and blame previous governments for the shortfall in dollars needed to care for our Parks.

Perhaps pv = parks victoria?

I'm still deciding whether I'll even pay. Again Issue for me is not the fee but rather the amount. I can't understand how this can be put through without any consultation or discussion.

Oops. my mistake. PV stood for Parks Victoria, and my comment was a general one. I looked up one park for two people for one night at a remote spot and the charge was a rather excessive $37 or so. For this we can stay at a caravan park. The better option seems to be to obtain water from the official camp site and camp 500 metres away.

I agree, the issue is not the fee but the amount. The fee for one night in Victoria is on par with a six week pass in Tassie. Can't recall the amount.

Victoria has an election in two days. I may vote Socialist. The Sex Party sounds like fun.

This seems to be the most common response that people just camp elsewhere which is a damn shame because it means our beautiful purpose built camping areas are now sitting idol and unused. Will this mean these camps will be closed in the future because the government will say 'Nobody uses them'?
The current camping areas are often in the best places to camp so it is not always possible to move 500 metres away to another spot. The other concern is that if everybody is camping in unspoilt areas how much longer will they be unspoilt???
In the original draft plan it was also suggested that dispersed bush camping may also be included in the fee structure in the future. This will most likely happen if the same government has its way and continues to treat our Parks as revenue raising opportunities.
We all need to continue to speak up against this or it will only get worse.

[ErichFromm]

I voted last week - for someone other than the goverment. But there is no reason to believe they will reverse the fees.

My partner has told me of a site or facebook account where people share places to camp for free. I guess we're going to get into a situation where some sites are crowded while others are empty. And paying for a site (particularly large amounts) changes the mentality from being "I'm sharing this with other people and should respect them" to "I've paid for this and have expectations".

It's a real shame as often I get this sense of community when camping around other people - something that may dissolve with this fee approach.

[neilmny]

This bright and shiny sign explains it well.
The crossing is not about exclusion it's all about the platforms.

Falls Hotham_1.JPG (178.2 KiB) Viewed 25707 times

They do have a nice view though.

I think I was allowed to go and look at them, just as long as I didn't stay.

[dplanet]

It's a real shame as often I get this sense of community when camping around other people - something that may dissolve with this fee approach.

I recently met and talked to a parks ranger at a new parks campground. The ranger also told me that the camp ground had been used to being busy; but rather empty now since the fee introduced. The fee I was told is about half of the amount put up on Parks Vic, parkstay booking site.

[vicrev]

Be interesting to see how incoming Andrews handles this fee business,or, I should say, IF he does... ....

[dplanet]

Priority such as emergency, hospital, employment ... Hope that the camping options and the camping fee issue will be looked into.

[icefest]

Did the platforms have little hooks to attach tent lines? It's one of the best things about the Tassie platforms.

[neilmny]

Did the platforms have little hooks to attach tent lines? It's one of the best things about the Tassie platforms.

Sorry icefest I was so taken with the scenery I didn't look very closely at the platforms. They are in a great spot if you don't mind a communal style set up.

One thing I did notice is the ambiguity (probably intentional) of the signage.
At the top it says "Cope Hut Campsite" "camping by permit only" and further down "bookings required for platforms" then "no camping within 100 metres of platforms".
I found a number of "errors" and ambiguities in signage in the area. One in particular was a map showing 2.5km to Roper lookout but the track sign saying "4km one way" but in reality it was 2km one way and 4km return. These were all very new signs and information boards as well.

[tastrax]

Did the platforms have little hooks to attach tent lines? It's one of the best things about the Tassie platforms.

If you blow up the picture you can see some eye bolts around the edges of the platforms that would allow you to tie down a tent. It would also be pretty easy to make up some hooks to drop through that grating.

http://www.gratingfrpaustralia.com.au/p ... ating.html

[Lophophaps]

The sign seems to be a bit large for bushwalkers. The map looks suss. The platforms appear to be a few minutes north of the turnoff to Cope Hut, on the east side of the road, perhaps where the pole line crosses. Yet the map shows a toilet on the other side of the Cope Hut turnoff. Could the large-scale map of the camping area be badly positioned over the general map? And is there a toilet close to the platforms?

Does the platform have a tent friendly surface, one that will not cut into nylon?

I've never camped close to Cope Hut, but if I did I'd go just a bit further away to past Maisies' Patch to the edge of Rocky Knobs, or down the pole towards Wallaces. Cost nil, privacy nearly certain.

[neilmny]

Ignore the map it's rubbish, more to show which platform is which I would say as the roads shown don't relate to the camp site at all.
The toilet is about 50 metres down on the same side of the road as the hut and is a good one, probably brand new.
The platforms are about 100 metres SE of the hut overlooking the open plain.
The surface is OK as far as I could see, but again I wasn't all that interested at the time. I did step onto the platform and remember thinking the grid was flat and smooth.
I was more interested in the fact that others can camp there (100 metres from platforms) and the view was great.

[dplanet]

. Cost nil, privacy nearly certain.[/color]

+1 for privacy.

[PTC]

Sorry about dragging up an old thread.

I have just gotten back from overseas so looking towards my next set of camping trips and wondering how these fees have affected different sites over the summer?

I just did a 4wd trip up to Sydney via the high country and there were no problems at any of my normal campsites. Even the Jamieson - Woods Point road seemed to still be free. And they are amazing sites along there.

Looking up the Great Ocean Road. All those site are now $34 i think. And caravan parks are only $30 for a hot shower included. No idea what PV were thinking. Just give me a yearly fee to access the parks at a decent rate and i'll pay that instead.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

The wording at Dibbin's hut new camp site sign is ambiguous so that one could interpret the meaning as to be the opposite of that which may be intended. Thus one is exonerated from the onus of booking and paying for any campsite in the Dibbin's hut/Cobungra Gap area. Nobody is there to enforce it or even to explain it to us aging acid causalities ;-P, who just like the outdoors and walking away from ' civilization'.

[Hallu]

Sorry about dragging up an old thread.

I have just gotten back from overseas so looking towards my next set of camping trips and wondering how these fees have affected different sites over the summer?

I just did a 4wd trip up to Sydney via the high country and there were no problems at any of my normal campsites. Even the Jamieson - Woods Point road seemed to still be free. And they are amazing sites along there.

Looking up the Great Ocean Road. All those site are now $34 i think. And caravan parks are only $30 for a hot shower included. No idea what PV were thinking. Just give me a yearly fee to access the parks at a decent rate and i'll pay that instead.

Yeah you're proving the point we were making earlier. No sense in paying premium for park camping with no amenities when you can pay less for showers, flush toilets, communal kitchen, and electrical power. Park campgrounds with a view worth paying the extra money for are extremely rare. As you said, it'd be better to do a yearly pass to all campgrounds. Or simply replace the camping fees with park fees. Why don't the australians copy what's working ? Canada and the US, park fees with possibility of a yearly pass of 80 $, + campground fees around 15-20 $... and wait, isn't that what Tasmania is already doing ? Duh ! I mean the truth is Victorians are proud of their parks, and they wouldn't mind paying for it, but it's like the VIC government thinks they'd all protest in the streets if parks weren't free anymore... The government is completely disconnected from the reality. And the reality is they're really furious about that increase in camping fees and campgrounds will become empty with illegal camping exploding.

[cherryw]

Camping fees in basic sites will now be abolished
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 7288987069

[neilmny]

Camping fees in basic sites will now be abolished
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victor ... 7288987069

It seems the Parks are not aware of this, they are still collecting fees for so called boat based camping in the Lake Eildon National Park which are also walk in locations as well.

[tastrax]

Even got a mention in Tasmania

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/break ... 7289216126

The devil will be in the detail - need to find the definitive list of removals/sites somewhere

[neilmny]

Ah..the key...from the Mercury
............
"CAMPERS no longer need to pay or book for a basic camping site in Victoria's national parks.

CAMPING costs introduced by the former government are now scrapped, Environment Minister Lisa Neville said on Thursday.
"You can't put a price on the beauty of our national parks," Ms Neville said.

The announcement, made just in time for Easter, means 500 basic camping sites in over 70 camping grounds in 19 national parks throughout Victoria will have no fees.

Campers will no longer need to book a basic site from July 1, and those who already have bookings will be refunded."
..............

In time for Easter to rub it in the nose of those that have paid already??????? .........very confusing reports from the Sun and the Mecury.
So until July 1st the bookings will continue?...
Pay $13.00 a night for absolutely nothing until July 1st..........dreamin'

[cherryw]

now on the Parks Vic website
http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/about-us/news ... camp-sites

[Hallu]

If the campgrounds are unmanned anyway, who's gonna pay ? No one is gonna check... If they really wanna raise money, they need to focus on key campgrounds, the ones that have the potential of becoming bigger with all amenities (pic nic tables for each spot, flush toilets and showers, even powersites), and leave the basic ones alone. Putting some mallee campgrounds such as the ones in Hattah-Kulkyne at 30 $ instead of 15 was outrageous. We're talking about pit toilets and very basic spots. This kind of unfair increase in prices will surely bring trouble, which will need rangers to sort them out, and will kill the purpose of this measure. An easier measure would be to create a Parks Victoria pass, and bring back park fees, I don't know why this isn't discussed in the government.

[neilmny]

Well spotted cherryw thanks for that.