Rewards in camping
SHEETS of tin were half buried among chipped old bricks and the final bit of frame left standing marked the site of my grandfather’s old bush hut. A South Johnstone resident, he’d bought the place at Kooboora for £10 about 70 years ago because of its links to his youth and to pan for alluvial tin. He was a bushman and his love of the land and camping flowed through his veins and I cherish the times my family visited his special place in the scrub after he died. Last weekend I went searching for Grandad’s old hut after a camping trip to Chillagoe and for the first time in more than 35 years stood at the site near Station Hill. It was an emotional experience full of wonderful memories. I attribute my love of camping to those early years when Mum and Dad would gather up their young family at every op- portunity and hit the road. I now do it with my own family every chance we get.
There has been a big reaction to our story last weekend about concerns around the regulation of free camping. I’m not surprised. Our natural assets are the very reason why people choose to live here or hop in a vehicle and visit.
However, it’s been interesting to note some of the reaction has been hostile from grey nomads who think the Cairns
Post or the Far North doesn’t want them to visit. We do.
The stories highlighted concerns about free camps that are not set up to accommodate the large numbers that are staying at them.
These areas cannot sustain that amount of people without regulation or better facilities. Therefore, the appropriate authority should be monitoring the campsites so that visitors (not just grey nomads) do not outstay their welcome.
Many vans these days are self-suf- ficient. They have toilets and showers; even washing machines.
They need water to run them and appropriate places for waste disposal.
Grey nomads pump up to $300 million into the Tropical North’s economy every year. Some choose to visit for months while others are just passing through. Their bread and milk purchases are our bread and butter.
Camping and hitting the road is a great Australian tradition and for fans defines freedom.
No one disputes that a traveller has paid their taxes and deserves to travel. But we are the custodians of this region and businesses and residents also pay rates that provide infrastructure for locals and visitors to enjoy.
We cannot be negligent in our environmental responsibilities or foolish in not looking for ways to benefit economically from this market and ensuring we appeal and cater to all visitors and their budgets. Happy camping.
GREY NOMADS PUMP UP TO $300 MILLION INTO THE TROPICAL NORTH’S ECONOMY EVERY YEAR. SOME CHOOSE TO VISIT FOR MONTHS WHILE OTHERS ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH. THEIR BREAD AND MILK PURCHASES ARE OUR BREAD AND BUTTER.