Bushwalk Australia

NSW National Parks are asking people to fill out a survey &/or write a submission regarding the changes to camping in the Parks. https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/camping
Basically the prices are going up and the temporary COVID booking system is here to stay.

The proposed changes is a positive from the perspective that you no longer need to book ahead for the free campsites nor pay the $6 booking fee. That is, first in, best dressed. I was sick of these free campsites being booked out but basically empty.

My view is that many of the campsites which didn't have bookings prior to covid probably don't need bookings going forward

It's good that they're proposing no booking + free for those base level sites again. However, it's not clear at all what these sites actually are. A map or list of all sites with their proposed pricing category is really needed.

I'd also argue that a pit toilet or basic shelter shouldn't be the determining factor for that base free level. They should only be charging a fee if overuse / crowding is an issue. Again, it's not clear which sites will fall into which categories.

Eg, with pit toilets added to campsites near Ruined Castle and Mobbs Swamp in recent years, will these now be charged?

Yes, that was my concern. National Parks are saying that 10% of their campsites will be free. I'd have thought that free campsites would currently be more than 10%. I am thinking that some of the current free campsites will be reclassified into paid campsites, especially those with pit toilets.

The tier description is probably intentionally vague. The pricing structure is somewhat clearer. It suggests if the site has a pit toilet, it will be tier 2 or greater.
The problem I have is that a lot of people go camping because that's all they can afford. Families in particular.

National Parks are saying that 10% of their campsites will be free.

Sounds like car camping to me. Ignore.
From MY perspective, ALL camping in NPs is free. They are not going to come looking for me, nor will they find me.
Someone in the Gov't is (still) trying to monetise the NPs. It failed every previous time.

Cheers
Roger

Stumbled onto this video about ghost camping. People booking camp sites and not showing up seems to be a problem everywhere.

Stumbled onto this video about ghost camping. People booking camp sites and not showing up seems to be a problem everywhere.
Ah, but the BIG question is 'Did they pay in advance?'
If not, then you may be seeing passive sabotage in action. Income stream blocked.
I like the idea.

Cheers
Roger

My view is that the best way to address ghost bookings / camping is to just not take bookings, as has long been the case. Many sites don't warrant having bookings and when introduced (even if free) seems to cause more trouble than the benefits it brings

Last chance to provide feedback.

Submissions closes Midnight Sunday

Here is some analysis of the NP campgrounds
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... OmXoRec44Y

Data comes from NSW NPWS site, I may have made errors in gathering the data so check the link to confirm specifics.
There are no Tier 6 listed as none of the sites had hot Showers listed.
Tier 4 were also limited as unclear what makes up a shelter.

What stands out to me is there are many sites that are remote and no Camper trailer or Caravan site (i.e. bushwalker friendly) that are currently free (with $6 booking) that will be Tier 2 or 3 at least.
Some of them don't get many visitors, especially during the week.

National Parks are spending $millions for Great Walks including marketing that will never be recovered, meanwhile free or low cost campsites that actually bring money into the regions will have higher costs leading to less visitation.

I find it best to ignore all the bureaucrats and just go my own way.
Cheers
Roger

This is a real retrograde step. I hope lots of people are having their say. I asked for limited facility areas to go back to a no booking system, as it was pre covid, and to offset that with a small price increase in tier 5 and 6 campgrounds.

I was always worried once a booking system was introduced during COVID we'd never get rid of it...

johnf wrote:Last chance to provide feedback.

Submissions closes Midnight Sunday

Here is some analysis of the NP campgrounds
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... OmXoRec44Y

Data comes from NSW NPWS site, I may have made errors in gathering the data so check the link to confirm specifics.
There are no Tier 6 listed as none of the sites had hot Showers listed.
Tier 4 were also limited as unclear what makes up a shelter.

What stands out to me is there are many sites that are remote and no Camper trailer or Caravan site (i.e. bushwalker friendly) that are currently free (with $6 booking) that will be Tier 2 or 3 at least.
Some of them don't get many visitors, especially during the week.

You can get a hot shower at three places I know of. Mt Kaputar, Wombeyan Caves and Bungonia. I am sure there are more.
National Parks are spending $millions for Great Walks including marketing that will never be recovered, meanwhile free or low cost campsites that actually bring money into the regions will have higher costs leading to less visitation.

https://au.yahoo.com/news/big-change-lo ... 28969.html

Big change looms for camping in national parks with major deadline from tomorrow

A majority of campgrounds in NSW are set to become more expensive with authorities looking to streamline reservation systems and thwart ghost bookings.

The NSW parks service manages 895 parks and reserves which make up roughly 10 per cent of the state's total land mass. According to the consultation paper, visitation has grown 49 per cent over the last decade, and there are now more than 50 million visits to national parks every year, including 1.8 million overnight campground stays.

In a recent video, Mike highlighted the Thredbo Diggings Campground in the Kosciuszko National Park which he believes will go from $6 to as much as $54 under the proposed system.

Part of the justification is to tackle the issue of ghost bookings, which has been a problem in campsites across the country where booking systems have been introduced. The perception of ghost bookings is a big part of the reason Victoria is not renewing its free camping initiate from July.

Another keen camper, Jay from CampingMates, highlighted the same site in a video discussing the overhaul and calling on people to provide feedback, and shared his own anecdote of ghost booking.

"Out of 41 campsites at Thredbo Diggings, when I was there 30 campsites were booked but I was the only person for the entire campsite," he said.