As reported in The Courier-Mail today, the Queensland Government has released for consultation a management plan for the Cooloola Coast north of Noosa to Double Island Point and around to Rainbow Beach.Our family loves this area, so I declare a vested interest, but also some first hand experience of the people that are damaging this environment and threatening the safety of others.
It is proposed to charge people to drive and camp in the area, just like you have to pay for a permit to visit some National Parks. At the moment, it is used and abused as though it is a highway and a fun zone. A proper management plan is long overdue because this area adjoins the Great Sandy National Park and the World Heritage Fraser Island area. It has equal environmental value and beauty.
We take great enjoyment from driving along the beach to swim at Double Island Point and walk up to the lighthouse to look for whales - although we do it with some guilt about the incongruity of driving a polluting 4WD through a pristine environment. So we try to drive and visit with respect for the privilege we have been given.
Paying for access will also allow facilities to be built to accommodate 46,000 car loads of people a year -- for example, there is only one set of toilets in this huge area at Freshwater.
Link to The Courier-Mail article
Have your say by 7 September 2009 Go to the Queensland Government website for info on the Cooloola Recreation Area plan and how you can make a submission.
1 comments:
I doubt whether the fees will make much difference. I've recently walked 38 k down the Fraser Island east coast from Dundubara, and it was a landmine of human excrement, "paper daisies" and plastic refuse. We are loving this World Heritage area to death with insufficient financial input to manage what is supposedly a World Heritage area. OK no more toilets installed, but please make porta potties compulsory for every camping party. The campsites were pigsties.
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