HELP SPREAD THE WORD - Booking camp sites for Cape York Peninsula National Parks

[Tuco]

Don't shoot me - I'm just the messenger!

Below is a copy of information that was sent to me by my daughter, who works at DERM (qld).

I don't agree with it either, and wonder if the people who dream up these conditions ever lived in the real world.

Don't bother replying to me - I won't be entering into any debate on the issue.

 ... read and enjoy ... Tuco

Camping on Cape York Peninsula? Bookings are essential.
From February 2012, all camping in national park and resource reserve camping areas on Cape York Peninsula will need to be booked. Sites will progressively come online—the majority by 29 February 2012. Self-registration will no longer be available.

Camping areas that are changing
All 41 Cape York Peninsula camping areas are moving from self-registration to pre-booked camping e-permits. Camping arrangements for some camping areas may have changed so check online for up-to-date information for these parks and reserves:
•        Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL)
•        Cape Melville National Park
•        Jardine River National Park, Heathlands Resources Reserve and Jardine River Resources Reserve
•        Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park (CYPAL)
•        Mungkan Kandju National Park.

Why the change?
The popularity of camping in Cape York Peninsula’s parks and reserves is growing.

In recent times, the demand for camp sites has exceeded availability. Campers have arrived to find camping areas fully booked and have then had to travel many kilometres to find alternative accommodation—a disappointing outcome after a long journey.

Booking a camp site ensures campers a guaranteed site on arrival at their preferred camping area.

How to book a camp site
Campers will need to book a camp site and purchase an e-permit before arriving at camping areas.

A range of options are available to obtain an e-permit:
•        Book online at www.qld.gov.au/camping
•        Visit a Department of Environment and Resource Management business centre or authorised booking agent
•        Phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68). Mobile phone charges may apply.

Camping credits can also be purchased in advance and used to make bookings.

Booking agents are located throughout Queensland. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) have actively sought agents near to, or on, Cape York Peninsula. As arrangements with these agents are finalised, their details will be listed as an authorised booking agent.

Campers may find making a booking difficult once they have left home, or after arriving on the peninsula. Recognising this, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) will be providing additional assistance to campers by providing touch screens to make bookings (subject to availability) at the following ranger bases and QPWS offices:
•        Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL)
•        Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park (CYPAL)
•        Heathlands Resources Reserve
•        Coen, Cooktown and Weipa.

Credit card and camping credits are accepted but no cash facilities are available.

QPWS is also installing road-side signs at key locations to remind visitors to book and purchase an e-permit. Signs will also be installed at locations where mobile phone services may be available (subject to phone carrier and signal strength).

Campers should book early to avoid disappointment—many camping areas are very popular.

Help spread the word
QPWS wants to ensure visitors to Cape York Peninsula have an experience that lasts a lifetime. Key to this is campers knowing about the changes to camping. QPWS has developed flyers and posters that can be produced on any type of printer. Please join us in spreading the word about these changes by:
•        circulating this information to everyone who talks to visitors to the peninsula
•        printing a flyer or poster and place in a prominent position.


STOP PRESS:
Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL) is now online. Campers can now book a camp site at any one of the 24 camping areas located in the park. Remember—book early to avoid disappointment.

[McGirr]

Yes interesting times especially the camp sites at Elliot Falls as the ranger only turns up every 3 days.

It would be good to watch as campers who have booked turn up and someone else is in there place.

Over the years it was just clearings in the bush to camp then they added copper log bollards which restricted areas for camper trailers and now this.

I spoke to one ranger once and he did not agree with the bollards going up. 

I looked up the website and Jardine river  / heathlands reserve are not on the booking site 

We camp at Canal creek near Elliots Falls.

Mark   

[cetacean]

Ahh progress don't you just love it ! 
We're planning a 6 month trip around parts of Oz in 2013,hoping to get to Cape York as part of our adventure.
Never having been to the Cape before, and not knowing exactly where and when we'll be wanting to camp,how the heck can you pre-book your camping sites ?
Seems to me that they're making it more difficult than it needs to 

Darryl

[Hews]

Ahh progress don't you just love it ! 
We're planning a 6 month trip around parts of Oz in 2013,hoping to get to Cape York as part of our adventure.
Never having been to the Cape before, and not knowing exactly where and when we'll be wanting to camp,how the heck can you pre-book your camping sites ?
Seems to me that they're making it more difficult than it needs to 

Darryl

We are in the same boat... heading off on a 3 month trip April through June and don't know exactly when we will be hitting the cape and how long it will take to get anywhere. As first timers up the cape we were hoping to play it by ear and make it up as we go along, but this makes life that bit harder. I can see their logic - but I don't like it one bit.

[GU_Thomo]

This has been mooted for a while, I believe they have been trialing it in a few parks.
All my experiences with Derm and their employees have been a joke.
This is one of the worst run organizations I have ever had the misfortune to experience, by far the worst National Parks organization in Australia IMO.
This policy is all about making it easier for them and BUGGA the customer/traveller.
Know your travel times exactly, don't break down, can't stay longer if you like the place, no way to deal with the situation of arriving to find all camping spots full, etc. etc.........
This policy could be used for very popular easily accessable camping areas during school holidays, BUT, they would have to allocate specific sites (none are numbered) and have on site rangers to make sure your site was vacant when you arrived.
This also ignores the fact that huge numbers of people do not have fixed itineraries.
People will just turn up and let the "fun" begin.

Perhaps if they keep making it harder for travellers a lot less will visit, and they will be able to close off more areas.

Lobby your local pollie, there is an election soon remember.

Rant over.

Cheers
Parry

[briann532]

This happened to us twice at Fraser Island.
We turned up to find people on our "booked"campsite.

Both times we politely spoke to the people about it and were told to go and get $#&^%ed.
Then we went to get the Rangers and it was solved, but it made it very un pleasant and uncomfortable for us.
A tad difficult if the ranger isn't about..............

Perhaps if every myswagger wrote to the relevant authority in each state and asked how to claim compensation in the event of this happening and ruining a lengthy holiday, they may reconsider?
Nudge nudge style.

Brian

[Kris]

While travelling the Cape and Western Qld last year, we came across this in the pipeline.  Had issues at Lakefield with the self registration.  Knew from the DERM park notes to arrive at Iron Range early, and secured a nice spot for a couple of days.  Porcupine Gorge was set so pre-booked sites took up more than 1/2 the total sites available, and the remaining sites were full by lunch.  The number of people that drove in then out again was unreal, and no one was in the booked sites. 

For first time travellers to an area, prebooking will be a nightmare.  By the same token, one could imagine what it would feel like if you had a site booked, and someone was in it.  I agree in certain busy parks, in areas with good internet reception, prebooking is a good idea.  But it really is bureaucratic rubbish.

[John N (sa)]

This was posted on the Exploroz site as well and travelers were less than impressed there too. I tried researching the DERM site in preparation for a club trip later this year where we intended camping a few nights in the national parks. There seems to be no flexibility and I could only see grief if were unable to stick to the pre-booked site schedule. Too hard and I modified our itinerary to bypass camping in the parks. Feel better supporting local business folk anyway.

Cheers

John

[dazzler]

Wont it make it simpler if you can book your site so you know you have a spot when you arrive?

We've had this in Tassie up the east coast for years and its worked. 

Or is this just more of the 'man' taking away freedom stuff?

[Hews]

Wont it make it simpler if you can book your site so you know you have a spot when you arrive?

We've had this in Tassie up the east coast for years and its worked. 

Or is this just more of the 'man' taking away freedom stuff?

It makes it easier for weekenders or planned weeks away - ie I have successfully booked through DERM for many fraser and bribie island trips. But when your on the road for a decent amount of time and travelling to locations you have never been it makes it harder.

I'm not exactly sure when we will be at the cape and have never been there before so not sure whats good and how many nights to stay at each campsite. We will have mobile Telstra broadband with us but have no idea where it will work and would be very hesitant leaving booking a very popular spot like Twin and Fruit bat falls to the last minute. By the time I know we'll be there it may be booked out...

I understand why they want to introduce it but just feel that it won't be practical in all situations/locations

[gclan]

We have booked our sites in Rinyirru (Lakefield)NP only so far as the other campsites aren't online yet. I have spoken with several rangers up on the Cape in the last few weeks, and they seem to be quite organised, having been out and measured and marked campsites. Head office on the other hand had absolutely no clue, and some people I had spoken to hadn't even heard of some of their own National Parks. Apparently there has been some sort of computer glitch, and that is the reason the system isn't fully up and running at the moment.

They trialled this last year at the Bungle Bungles. We had booked our sites, but we had to rearrange our travel itinerary once over there and couldn't make our set dates. We were lucky in that we could change our dates. When we turned up, there were vacant sites everywhere, but not one numbered or marked as being booked, so we set up where we liked. I'd hate to have turned up at a busy time. If we can't get to our designated site on the designated day, and we can't get phone reception to let them know we can't make it, I'd hate for our site to sit empty and a family be turned away. I can't see how this can work in remote areas, but I can see the merits of both the pre-booking and self registering systems.

[gclan]

Pre-booking will not stop people from missing out on a site as there are so many more people travelling these days, and only so many campsites. People will still pull in to a campsite, find it full, and still have to drive 'many kilometres to find alternative accommodation'. They may even under this new system, pull in to a campsite, find it half empty, and still have to drive many km down the road, just because the sites were booked.

[gclan]

Some of the other NPs are online now for booking. After several phone calls to DERM because the online booking system couldn't get it's head around the number of people vs the number of cars/campers that I wanted to book, I have managed to book our group in at Eliot Falls and Chili Beach.

Now lets hope that we don't have any breakdowns, or changes of plans, and that nobody has 'mistakenly' camped on our sites. We may have to bring our own bouncers 

[barraboy]

On last years My Swag Cape Trip we all arrived (approx 15 vehicles)at Elliott falls camp area and there was not one spare place. We then moved North and found an alternative area to Camp but away from the toilets. The bottom line is that up the Cape there is simply not enough designated camping areas. We need the authoritys to spend more funds expanding the camping areas. There is certainly the space.

[McGirr]

On last years My Swag Cape Trip we all arrived (approx 15 vehicles)at Elliott falls camp area and there was not one spare place. We then moved North and found an alternative area to Camp but away from the toilets. The bottom line is that up the Cape there is simply not enough designated camping areas. We need the authoritys to spend more funds expanding the camping areas. There is certainly the space.

Might get everyone to out the chainsaws and whipper snippers and make our own sites 

Naturally I will supervise with a beer in my hand.

Mark

[hairymick]

Derm have been using this B.S. system at a number of Parks in SE Queensland for at least a year or so, including, Charlie Moreland, Bolumba, Bunya Mountains and Wongi that I know of.

It is a brothel to use at Boloumba with numbered pre-booked sites and chances are that even if you are able to secure the site you want, on the dates you want, then somebody will allready be in it when you get there.

At Wongi, it just a pretty bigh, open camping site with no numbered or allocated sites. I have seen a private security officer who was apparently employed by Derm patrolling the  area to catch those who dared to not pre-book and just turned up.

I think the concept has a little merrit in places that can be easily got to and regularly patrolled by DERM rangers but in places like cape york, its just a nonsense. People travel thousands of miles to get there, and over some of the worst roads in the country and are expected to pre book sites for exact times, bloody absurd in my opinion.

[Bird]

.... I always thought LEGS was the word....

[gclan]

Part of the problem is also the number of rangers available to police the campsites. The poor Jardine/Heathlands ranger now has to check Eliot Falls, South and North Jardine River camps, Captain Billy Landing and Ussher Point. He's going to be a very busy boy. Although he assured me that he has been told to check every site daily, I can't see him physically being able to do it.

I think he may need to join you lot in the Myswag camp around the fire of a night to stay sane... or to forget. Surely McGirr will have enough of the amber stuff to share around 

[McGirr]

Part of the problem is also the number of rangers available to police the campsites. The poor Jardine/Heathlands ranger now has to check Eliot Falls, South and North Jardine River camps, Captain Billy Landing and Ussher Point. He's going to be a very busy boy. Although he assured me that he has been told to check every site daily, I can't see him physically being able to do it.

I think he may need to join you lot in the Myswag camp around the fire of a night to stay sane... or to forget. Surely McGirr will have enough of the amber stuff to share around 

Yes I cannot see him checking every site as when I spoke to the ranger last week at heathlands they have a budget and it does not allow him to spend each day checking the sites as he only does that every 3 days.

In 2006 we camped at twin falls and the rangers were making the timber boardwalk. They had a generator going to run their tools and they let me get out the chainsaw and cut up old timber lying around. We had the rangers and most of the other campers at our site drinking that night as we had so much wood. I think they would have been over the limit when they drove off 

Mark

[gclan]

Out of curiosity, for those going to Cape York this year, has this new booking system:

-meant that you now have to plan an itinerary and pray damn hard that nothing holds you up so that you can arrive on time to 'hopefully' have campsite waiting for you?

-meant that you'll plan a rough itinerary, book in some dates, and if you can be there on the right day, then good, but if you can't, well, you'll find an alternative when the time comes?

-changed where you were planning to camp ie. now not going to Chili Beach, Captain Billy's, Ussher Point, Maytown, or even Lakefield? 

-not made a difference, you'll camp where you like, or wherever you find a vacant site, and you'll deal with QPWS when they find, if they can?

-made travelling to Cape York easier?

[McGirr]

You will need to be exact with your intinery if you wish to camp at the spots.

Mark

[gclan]

Mark,

do you know if any of your myswag crew are planning on going to Chili Beach, Lakefield, or any of the other NP or Reserves on their way back down south?

[jaycamrie]

So what if all camp sites are already booked does that meen you cannot go to the cape  .

[McGirr]

Mark,

do you know if any of your myswag crew are planning on going to Chili Beach, Lakefield, or any of the other NP or Reserves on their way back down south?

Not sure what members are doing on the way back but this new regulation has come into force this year and a lot of people will not know about it and will use that excuse. The rangers are not happy with this either and I can see this not working and may be scrapped.

Regarding twin falls I prefer canal creek as you can drive 500 mtres if you need to use the toilet facilities.

Jardine river camp sites I would not book as very few people use this area.

Lake field there are plenty of campsites but kalpower has the toilets and showers and the campsites there are not camper trailer friendly with most sites set up for tents with kopper log bollards set up.

Turn up and plead ignorance or say your from Victoria 

Mark

[GGV8Cruza]

Turn up and plead ignorance or say your from Victoria 

Mark

That will be my excuse

GG