Victorian farmers angry at government permitting camping on riverside crown land
A controversial scheme allowing camping on some crown land next to Victorian rivers has come into force but a list of approved sites has been delayed due to Covid, the state government says, and many farmers remain angry about the increased access.
State environment minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, in August announced 27 sites across north-east Victoria were being assessed for camping access based on safety, environmental impact and their Aboriginal cultural heritage.
The land under consideration is licensed for grazing and some are frustrated by what they say is a lack of transparency. Others are worried about public safety and protecting nearby private farmland.
The first campsites were scheduled to be opened from 1 September, but a Victorian government spokesperson told Guardian Australia lockdown restrictions in regional areas had stalled the assessment process.
“The initial site assessment along the Goulburn, Broken, Ovens, Campaspe, Loddon, and Murray rivers … will restart as soon as restrictions are lifted,” the spokesperson said.
Southern Riverina Irrigators chief executive, Sophie Baldwin, said she was angry she still didn’t know where any of the potential sites were.
Her property backs on to Gunbower Creek in northern Victoria – a natural carrier in the irrigation supply system and a popular site for kayakers, due to its birdlife and bush scenery.
Baldwin said she feared if camping areas were opened along the creek her land – currently leased to a dairy farmer for hay and young stock – would be at risk.
“Under these laws, I can’t stop anyone from going into my property to camp on the creek. What happens if these people leave the gates open and the stock get out? The cattle are worth between $2,000 and $3,000 an animal,” she said.
“What happens if they have an accident on my property but I haven’t let them in there? Who’s liable?
“I just don’t think people should be allowed to travel through my property to get to a camping area. My block isn’t open for everybody in town to come to. It’s a farming business, people make their livelihood off my block.”
The public could already access river frontage crown land for limited activities like fishing, hiking and picnicking. The final regulations allow camping for 14 days at a designated site – down from a proposed 28 days. Sites must be at least 200 metres from dwellings – up from 100 metres.
The Victorian government first promised in 2018 to open new camping and fishing areas for public access – with hundreds of potential sites to be investigated. The regulations received more than 1,100 submissions during the consultation period.
A Victorian government spokesperson said the final regulations carefully balanced greater recreational access with protecting agricultural, environmental and Aboriginal cultural heritage.
Permitting camping on licensed crown land areas wouldn’t allow people to access adjoining private or leased land, which would still constitute trespassing.
The regulations include a 24-hour Victorian Fisheries Authority hotline via 13FISH for farmers to report poor camping behaviour.
Fair Camping Laws co-conveners Belinda and Les Pearce say a hotline isn’t good enough.
In May, the couple helped organise a rally against the regulations in Melbourne that attracted more than 120 protesters.
The Pearces, who run a beef property in north-east Victoria’s Kiewa Valley with five kilometres of river frontage, have serious concerns about how the new rules would be implemented and managed.
“We have fenced off and planted native plants along the entire river frontage,” Pearce said.
“The insurance and public liability issue is just one of many. We’re worried about biosecurity threats, the potential for adverse outcomes between cattle, campers and dogs, gates getting left open and cows getting on to the road.
“But also falling branches on campers, disposal of human waste and litter, campfire risks – the list goes on and on.”
The Victorian government has said licensees would have public liability insurance since crown land on river frontages could already be accessed for recreation. The regulations also prohibit camping on licensed areas that have been revegetated.
The state minister for fishing and boating, Melissa Horne, earlier this year argued: “The public has a right to enjoy public land. With these changes, campers will be welcome to use crown land with water frontage free and in harmony with licensees and the environment.”
Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano said the landowners with licenses affected by the 27 pilot sites weren’t properly consulted with farmers shut out of the process.
“No one knows the land better than farmers who live and work on it every day. It’s a no-brainer to involve farmers in this process,” she said.
“Farmers who will have to deal with the campfire that gets away, the spooked stock, gates left open and god forbid a serious injury or death. These are not cases of if, but when. Unfortunately, the notion of free camping doesn’t exist and farmers will be the ones left out of pocket dealing with issues such as broken gates and wrecked fences.”
The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) executive director, Matt Ruchel, said the final regulations released on Wednesday were a significant improvement on the initial policy.
“It is more site-specific by only allowing camping in places designated following an assessment,” he said. “It’s still a bit light on detail for how ecological assessments will work, but it’s better. Initially, we were calling this an initiative for camping with cows.”
Ruchel said the VNPA had feared the regulations would act as a disincentive for the proper management of riverside areas which are critical junctures of water and land.
“The state has never wanted to manage these things directly for their ecological and cultural values so if it can incentivise better management, that’s a good outcome for our rivers.
“The devil is always in the detail though. Twenty-seven sites isn’t a lot at this stage and there will need to be clarity on additional sites and how they are managed. They are really important places ecologically.”