Illegal car park act highlights big 'problem' in Aussie tourist town

Locals at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast say the squatters are hoarding precious parking spaces in what's already a region lacking enough bays.

A row of motorhomes in Noosa. Locals say the area has been overrun with illegal campers.
Locals at Noosa say their town is being overrun with illegal campers in motorhomes. Source: Suzanne King via Sunshine Coast News

Despite a council at a major Aussie tourist town vowing to crack down on illegal camping, it appears the issue at one particular spot is worse than ever, with a photo emerging late last week showing rows of motorhomes illegally stationed at a car park.

Locals in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast are facing a huge dilemma in that they "can't access" their favourite beachfront spots — but get labelled as being unfriendly or unsociable if they complain. One member of the community said the issue has become so bad she felt the town was overrun.

The problem is one plaguing popular traveller hotspots around the country, with recent figures released to Yahoo by the nationwide council reporting app Snap Send Solve revealing thousands of reports of illegally parked RVs and caravans across Australia.

"These figures underscore a widespread issue across the country, particularly in urban areas where space is limited and pedestrian and road safety are critical," Danny Gorog, CEO of Snap Send Solve told Yahoo.

A no free camping sign next to a row of motorhomes and cars at Noosa.
Despite Noosa Council continuing its illegal camping crackdown against tourists, the issue still appears prevalent. Source: Facebook/Noosa Council

Noosa Local Suzanne King, who took the photo (top of page) at Claude Batten Drive in Noosa Heads, said "something needs to be done". "There are so many campers now that residents can’t access the area," she told Sunshine Coast News.

"We’re talking about them monopolising the area and leaving it inaccessible to others. It’s a problem but residents get labelled as being unfriendly or unsociable if they complain."

Noosa Council said it's continuing to deploy rangers to problem areas, with steep fines in place for offenders. The council announced a "blitz" earlier this year to combat the issue, handing down dozens of fines since March.

According to King, some illegal campers are "staying for months".

"We’ve got people there for quite a long time, it appears, with chairs and beds, who are stopping others from going there to have a one-hour cup of coffee," she said.

“Some people will say they don’t belong there at all and a lot of other people will say that things should be free and easy. But at the end of the day, the residents and ratepayers are paying to maintain this site.

The fine for illegal camping is $322, and council has issued 142 fines and 150 cautions this year, Sunshine Coast News reported. King thought that perhaps a permanent area for long-term campers should be erected to cater to visitors.

She said council has had "plenty of time to come up with a solution" with there being "so much vacant area in the woods" that could be a temporary campground. Though, council said it had no plans to open any camping grounds at Noosa Woods. It operates three holiday parks in the Noosa area already, including the Noosa River Holiday Park.

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One Aussie just a few hours down the coast at Queensland's Gold Coast earlier this year had a different view of the situation — and called on councils around the country to show more compassion for those sleeping in their vehicles.

Paul Tyler, who has resided in his van for the last five years due to it being easier to travel for work, said in the middle of one of the worst cost of living and housing crises on record, it's "disgusting" that councils are sending employees out to "hunt for struggling people" to "issue fines".

Tyler said he was threatened with an $800 infringement from the City of Gold Coast council for sleeping in his parked vehicle on a "quiet street", branding the warning "absurd" and particularly outrageous due to the fact that "coastal van culture" in Australia is "part of our history".

But much like Noosa, Gold Coast council said they've seen a "40 per cent increase in the number of requests relating to illegal camping and homelessness" in the last three years alone.

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