Pre Booking Campsites In Qld.

Bob,

We found the same thing when we made an improptu camp at Porcupine Gorge. Several sites that were vacant all night had tags on them saying "reserved". We used two of these as our rig could not fit into just one. There were only 6 campers in the whole park, ......nobody had pre-booked......and it would have been 1 1/2 hours to drive to Hughenden on a rough gravel road to get phone coverage or internet access. The info centre or internet cafe would have been closed anyway.

I wonder if the pin-striped shinies who make these decisions have ever been out of Brisbane Metro area. They certainly need a reality check!! AND I agree that they are certainly making an effort to keep National Parks ONLY for the tenters and hikers. We, the majority of Australia's population are being shunted out of OUR National Parks.

Shame.................Rob.

I just want to add my 2 bobs worth (pardon the pun Bob). I recently travelled to Inniminka SA. We went to Cullyamurra Water Hole, a SA desert park close to Inniminka, and stayed overnight. The Ranger caught up with us the next morning and forced us and another 5 vans to pay $30 per vehicle for an overnight SA Desert Parks Pass. The road in wasnt graded and there were no facilities except for one bush dunny.
WHAT A RIPOFF!!!!!
WARNING TO ALL TRAVELLERS - DO NOT STAY OVERNIGHT IN A SA DESERT PARK OR YOU WILL BE HIT!
The Ranger seemed like he was on a commission to collect the money. Probably trained as a parking officer by some council.

Rosco

Hi Bob - A similar thing is now happening to an extent in NSW except that they allow both self registration & bookings. Trouble is they don't place any form of rteservation on the site you book so you get there to find someone who has done the right thing & self registered is in the spot. I say it should all be self registration or better still no registration as after all the parks are ours.

David.

Should get on to the Caravan & Motorhome crowd and see what sort of a ruccus they can create, with our support of course, it is amazing what a voice they have and I guess if we all got behind them to lobby the powers that be - we might get a hearing. Just a thought! any one got any other suggestions?
There was a suggestion last year about becoming affiliate members of the Motorhome Club which was going to enable other clubs or persons being privy to the magazine which is put out- does anyone know if this has happened?

The country is so over governed that soon they will be telling us whether we can buy a Bustracker or not!!!!!!!!!! God help us all!!!

To join Bob - thats my rant for the day!!!!!!!!!

Margie

Here is the photo of Porcupine Gorge NP. camp site:-


Porcupine Gorge National Park Camping

Pre-booked sites 10 and 11. Each were too small for our rig so we used both. (only paid for one though). All other pre-booked sites were vacant the night we were there. [This was a particularly depressing situation as we had just spent a couple of nights at Camp Foster, Charters Towers, where there was no internet pre-booking, no fees, no regulations – we even had a campfire on the driveway – and, superb hospitality from the Rangers – THANKS Margie and Horse.]

I must say that I agree with John Laws and Alan Jones that State Governments should be abolished, allowing consistent conditions in not only NATIONAL Parks, but in road rules, bushfire regulations, rest area usage, water storage, irrigation licensing, driver licencing, vehicle registration, towing regulations, load restrictions, education, health and medical services, etc etc.etc.

It is sickening to hear a Federal Politician blaming the State for the lack of action relating to the Pacific Highway, then the State Politician blaming the Feds for not providing funding. The Queensland Government allows cotton farmers to use and hold all the water that flows into the Darling, leaving NSW with nothing to fight the drought. The Federal Government can’t do anything about it…..”it’s a State Issue” …….BULL bleep !!!!

Of course, neither the Feds nor the States would agree to a referendum on abolition of State Governments, because it is obvious what would happen. The message needs to come from the people, and perhaps if we combined with Caravan & Motorhome Clubs, Caravanners Forum, Explore Oz. etc etc., we could help to get the message across.

Of like is the Motoring Organizations….RACQ, AAA, RACV, RAA and NRMA…what is NATIONAL about the National Roads and Motorists Association? Perhaps if State Governments were abolished, there could be a NATIONAL body.

That’s my rant for the day,

Cheers……………Rob

Hey Bob,

I tried putting the photo in the last post, but it failed.....Any clues??

Rob