Xmas Camping at Arakoon SRA, South West Rocks

[Memem284]

My family have been camping for 2 weeks at Arakoon SRA at South West Rocks at Christmas time for the last 16 years, rebooking when they leave for the following year. Although it's my ex who still camps there with the grown up kids, I spent about 8-10years there as well.

We have met some fantastic people who camp there as well, some families for over 40 years. My eldest daughter is the girlfriend of one of the boys we met there all that time ago! He is also the best mate of my stepson. There have been many Christmas mornings, NYE parties, fishing trips, sharing of ice-creams, sharing of surfboards, surf-skis and all sorts of beach time fun. This has also extended to celebrating special birthdays etc during the year. These families all met at Arakoon and this is the thing that binds us.

The NPWS has decided during the year to open bookings for 2013/14 summer on 4th Dec 2012 without letting these long time campers know and now all their sites (which almost get passed down from family member to family member) are gone for 13/14. So many people are terribly disappointed. NPWS say they emailed all these people to advise them of the changes on bookings but NO-ONE received an email or any form of contact (even though they have all the details).

Some may say that it's time to share, but it's almost a rite of passage for campers to work their way to the beachfront spot from the back of the campground and these families definitely pay top price for the privilege! These families look after their little spot as if it was their own and always leave the grounds spotless and help out when needed. The very least they could do is let these people know in time to have a chance at booking too.

This is a bit of a rant but this holiday is a bit of an institution for these families and some don't get any other time off during the year and knew this was their relaxing time in a beautiful spot.

[Davepatrol]

Hope you've got good Shockies, They filled the place up with speed bumps about 20 ft apart all the way through the camping area.
Cheers Dave.

[fuji]

Probably a good thing. It will give other campers the chance to camp somewhere nice for a change. I don't believe anyone has the right to get the same spot every year. The parks should open bookings for Christmas on the 1st if July every year.  I spoke to a few people in Broome last year and they told me the same people get the same spot every year thus locking out others from getting a spot near the beach. my rant IMO.

[Memem284]

Fuji,

I do sort of agree with you. It's the fact the NPWS didn't tell anyone. They also take to full booking fee the January before the booking (I.e. pay Jan 2012 for Christmas 2012). So they hold the full amount all year.

[KingBilly]

Whilst I feel for you and can understand why you are dissapointed, I think that any government owned park should only be allowed to accept bookings on a first in basis similar to what Wayne suggests above.  Allowing people to lock up the premium sites for years on end is not fair to all users.  Commercial operators can do what they like and charge what they like but places owned by the people should be accessable to all people on a fair basis.

Not sure what you're getting at with the booking fee thing.  They wouldn't be making any money out of the interest on today's currency markets.

Hope you guys can find an alternative camping location that you are happy with.

KB

[Memem284]

Not just booking fee, but the full payment. Well over $1000 for some

[Kydar]

Whilst I feel for you and can understand why you are dissapointed, I think that any government owned park should only be allowed to accept bookings on a first in basis similar to what Wayne suggests above.  Allowing people to lock up the premium sites for years on end is not fair to all users.  Commercial operators can do what they like and charge what they like but places owned by the people should be accessable to all people on a fair basis.

Not sure what you're getting at with the booking fee thing.  They wouldn't be making any money out of the interest on today's currency markets.

Hope you guys can find an alternative camping location that you are happy with.


   X2.  Well said.

KB

[fuji]

I don't agree that they should take a large amount of money for booking fees but it is guaranteed revenue for NPWS, just like camera cars.  However I had to pay a large amount of money to secure my accommodation in Bali and they had it for 6 months. Not happy? No I wasn't, but that's life.  I do sympathise with your situation however there are other places along your beautiful coastline.

Wayne 

[gronk]

I don't agree that they should take a large amount of money for booking fees but it is guaranteed revenue for NPWS, just like camera cars.  However I had to pay a large amount of money to secure my accommodation in Bali and they had it for 6 months. Not happy? No I wasn't, but that's life.  I do sympathise with your situation however there are other places along your beautiful coastline.

Wayne 

While I do agree with you...a right to book every year if you happen to be one of the lucky ones......I don't fancy your chances on finding another spot along the coast at xmas time !!..........unless you leave tomorrow and get a spot at a place where no bookings are allowed ( a few nat parks )..

[discoteddy]

My family have been camping for 2 weeks at Arakoon SRA at South West Rocks at Christmas time for the last 16 years, rebooking when they leave for the following year. Although it's my ex who still camps there with the grown up kids, I spent about 8-10years there as well.

We have met some fantastic people who camp there as well, some families for over 40 years. My eldest daughter is the girlfriend of one of the boys we met there all that time ago! He is also the best mate of my stepson. There have been many Christmas mornings, NYE parties, fishing trips, sharing of ice-creams, sharing of surfboards, surf-skis and all sorts of beach time fun. This has also extended to celebrating special birthdays etc during the year. These families all met at Arakoon and this is the thing that binds us.


Mate I agree with you completely! My clan has a yearly booking for two weeks in the Jan school holidays on a powered terrace site. I've been going to Arakoon for 33 years at this time of year . Firstly with my parents and I now take my family, including my kids too. For years we stayed in overnight sites, tried and tried to get the ONE site for our two week stay, on more than one occasion we have to move mid holiday a couple of sites up to get a continuous two week block. We have had this site for the last seven years. No matter where we have lived we have gone back to Arakoon for the same two weeks. My son has had every birthday of his life there.

Like you we have met some lovely people and really look forward to see old friends every year! I dont think that I have ever put my tent/camper up with out help from my neighbours. We have received no correspondence from NPWS in relation to this. Where did you get this update from?? Their website makes no mention of this.

It's appears others have a lack of empathy in relation to this, if this is true it is not only our families that are affected but a lovely older retired couple whom have been heading to Arakoon for over 40 years . From my knowledge that have their son hook up the caravan in Sydney and we have unhooked at the Arakoon end and set them up for the past decade, with the help of other neighbours, I guess that it nuts for them too. We are ga tight bunch in Arakoon, we've suffered many black nor easters together Perhaps others need to be more understanding of the larger picture and the effects this will have on a wider number of people.

 

Discoteddy.

[Wortho]

I feel sorry for the people who have met there for years and can no longer get a spot and also for those who would like to camp there for the first time. Theres no right or wrong here and someone will always miss out. The reality is there are not enough places to camp during peak periods and when you consider we are one of the worlds biggest islands and land mass there are very few places you can camp close to the beach. This will only get worse from now on with the population growth and number of people taking up camping.

BTW. Population growth last year was 1.6 per cent or nearly 360,000 including a 208,300 net migration increase.  We are going to need more national parks with more  camping areas rather than locking them up.

[discoteddy]

Good point Wortho, I've been on the phone to Trial Bay at Arakoon today. There computer tells them that every affected camper was emailed to inform them of the changes. From the number of people I have spoken to today not one family received any form of notification 

My site for next summer is goooone, funny I wasn't even told until I called them today

I have made enquiries with the state ministers office responsible for NPWS, from initial conversations they were unaware of the mentioned changes, I'm waiting for a follow up phone call tomorrow.

 

Discoteddy .

[xcvator]

While I can sympathise with the op there is certainly 2 sides to the story. You obviously like/enjoy the place very much, but so would a lot of other people that you are locking out under your prefered system. The thing to remember is that it is a national park, not your park, and as such you have no more claim to a site than me, no matter how long you have been going there, in fact when I think about it the reverse  should apply, after a maximum number of stays in peak time, you're excluded for the same number of times so every body gets a chance.
In Victoria the parks have a ballot system just to give every one a fair and equal chance, perhaps that should be done at Arakoon
Just my 2c worth 

[discoteddy]

While I can sympathise with the op there is certainly 2 sides to the story. You obviously like/enjoy the place very much, but so would a lot of other people that you are locking out under your prefered system. The thing to remember is that it is a national park, not your park, and as such you have no more claim to a site than me, no matter how long you have been going there, in fact when I think about it the reverse  should apply, after a maximum number of stays in peak time, you're excluded for the same number of times so every body gets a chance.
In Victoria the parks have a ballot system just to give every one a fair and equal chance, perhaps that should be done at Arakoon
Just my 2c worth 
[/

Mate, you make some interesting, if misguided points.

I don't remember reading/saying that it was MY national park. The issue has never been about ownership of any of the sites within the Arakoon State Recreation Area. My understanding of the op as a topic and the way it affects me and many others, is that people have had camp sites that they believed, as stated on the NPWS website and their booking receipt, the first option to again re book .Now it doesn't matter if you or anyone else believes it was a fair system or not, it was the system in place ! And, up until 3 December 2012 regardless of your comments, I did have more right to THAT site than you as indicated in the conditions of booking that any camper occupying a site during a school holiday period had the first option to again re book that site for the same period the next year as long as they booked before the conclusion of that occupation period.

I didn't write the rules but I respected them. Now, before I fall from my soap box, let me conclude that the issue is that NPWS changed the policy on the 3 December 2012 without telling those affected, hence removing our chance to attempt to re book previously allotted camp sites. As you have indicated, a ballot may be a fairer system, although I believe ballots generally work when people are informed they are being conducted!

Now where was my bex 

 
Discoteddy

[xcvator]

discoteddy,  from what I read,from the original post, I got the impression that   Memem284 regarded that particular site as "his", hence some of my comments.
I do totally agree that the rules/goal posts shouldn't be changed part way through the game, and that's pretty poor, and at this late stage there's probably not much you can do about it except to complain loudly to your local mp.

In Vic I think it goes something like this.
1/ ballot opens about 1st July ( application must be in by mid August)
2/2nd ballot in Oct (people that haven't paid deposits are out)
3/3rd ballot in late Nov or early December  (people that haven't paid deposits are out)
4/ Wait list created for people that missed out

This,to me,appears to be a fair system, as you can apply for several parks, and hope 1 of your entries is a winner (bit like lotto I guess)

But cheer up, there may not be a park there after today anyway




ps. didja have a cuppa tea and a good lie down with it 

[dazzler]

No wonder half the developing world holds us in contempt.

But we're booked here first so we should get first chance for the next year and on and on.

Oh the humanity!

[discoteddy]

Xcvator, yeah mate the rest did me good it's good stuff that bex!

Dazzler, hey thanks for the effort that was really special

[camlisa]

Went to my favorite camping spot last week with wife and best mates family. Been going here since 1979 guess what 1st 2nd 3rd choice sites taken had to take a site i wouldnt normally take. This is now my 1st choice for next time. For me its all about the company,beer,fishing & surfing.Please dont complain just enjoy what you have & live life. (complaining to authorities usually ends at a brick wall, not worth the frustration)

[fuji]

Yes this post is like the GIC post. BORING!

[gronk]

Yes this post is like the GIC post. BORING!

Sorry mate, but you don't have to read the post..

Please don't turn this site into another well known 4wd one where everyone attacks everything said just because they don't like or agree with the direction it's taking..

[discoteddy]

Sorry mate, but you don't have to read the post..

Please don't turn this site into another well known 4wd one where everyone attacks everything said just because they don't like or agree with the direction it's taking..

X 2 , well said

[Brucer]

I know the right to re-book is a common system, but I just can't see why anyone decided it was fair in the first place. Sure it's great if you're the one who's holding the booking but it sucks for everyone else.

[fuji]

I know the right to re-book is a common system, but I just can't see why anyone decided it was fair in the first place. Sure it's great if you're the one who's holding the booking but it sucks for everyone else.

X10000
I think they think its their god given right. Lol

[discoteddy]

Another fuji classic

[fuji]

Just my 2 cents lol