National Parks and Wildlife: Good guys or bad guys?

[yellowbeard]

They could ban 4WDs on beaches in a heartbeat--and that really gets one's heart beating. What if they blundered onto our beaches with the same political bias and snake oil chicanery as the Marine Park Authority whose ultimate quest seems to be to zone off anything that's wet?
So with these trepidations, which kept me raiding the Temazepam bottle nightly, I picked up the phone and demanded answers from the National Parks and Wildlife NSW.
The first surprise was that I got to speak to an intelligent person right away and in no time was speaking to the top Honcho. The next surprise is how concerned they are about their public image and of course the enormous detrimental rhetoric, which I believed has been augmented by the goings-on of the spurious Marine Park management here in Port Stephens.
The first assurance I was offered was that their was no mandate to ban 4WDs from the two main beaches here in Port Stephens, Stockton Beach and Mungo Beach. However there were closures due to the recent storms that have caused enormous erosion of the beaches.
I have been looking at the condition of the closed sections myself and can't dispute that at high tide there is just nowhere other than on the vegetation to drive at high tide -- and driving on the vegetation just compounds the erosion problem. Still, in spite of the closures, rogue 4WDrivers still persist.
There are also a couple of 'havens' on Mungo Beach where 4WDs aren't allowed to go. One is south of Mungo Beach 4WD access to Dark Point. This section, which includes parking, picnic facilities and pedestrian access is often frequented by families and very popular with beach anglers. So in reality who wants yahoos roaring up and down a beach where you're trying to fish or your kids are at play? That's the next point: In the words of a ranger whom I later struck up a conversation with, he said about their recent inclusion in the management plan of Stockton Beach, "When we got there it was like the wild west." Being well aware of this is the main reason why in the past I've never used the beach; so that's been a self-imposed ban due to the reckless use of the beach by others.
The reality is that if you couldn't do the drive from Mungo to the Big Gibber, checking out all the banks and gutters along the way it would be sacrilegious to our way of life, and equally so if you couldn't 4WD up to Indian Head on Fraser Island, or all the way along Stockton. So what are these guys really up to? Well, all the parks have to have a 'park management plan' that's supposed to appease all interested groups -- and that includes anglers, 4WDs, picnickers, tourists, ecologists, and those concerned with sacred sites.
But I must admit I like the way the management plan is currently working and I have a severe distain of yahoos behaving badly and generally tearing up our revered beaches when it just isn't necessary. Although if I was 17 again I'd probably be one of the offenders if some park ranger didn't give me a wake-up call.
Right now I'm gearing up my own 4WD to extend my beach fishing grounds and I'll be the first to spit the dummy if the National Parks and Wildlife do eventually unreasonably lock up certain beaches to 4WDs. There is a 40kph speed zone here on all beaches -- not sure of Fraser's, which used to be 80kph. And it begs the question: Why does anyone need to drive at 80ks on a beach? Maybe the more isolated beaches, but certainly not here.
My own opinion is that beach 4WDriving is not such a big thrill in itself, merely access to some very special Aussie places and I'd hate to see the yahoos ruin it for everyone.
So what's the verdict, good guys or bad guys?

[PADDLES]

good guys of course, i've never thought otherwise. when you consider how many total f*^kwits they get to meet in a day they are absolute troopers.

[wags on the water]

Good guys/girls in my book. They have to do their job too.
As far as closing beaches to 4wds, from what I saw on the weekend on the beach near DI Point, I'll be very surprised if it's not closed as well. Many f******* doing donut after donut, during the day and night (without lights on ), driving up onto the top of the dunes, leaving rubbish in camping spots. It was apalling.

There's no excuse for having to drive on the dunes during high tides. Wait until the tide goes down.

[PinHead]

There will be areas that will be closed..the greenies will want it..the Govt will use the yobbos as an excuse..and who will scream the loudest..the yobbos.
If everyone did the right thing and looked after what we have then there is no reason to close access but, as usual, the minority will destroy it for everyone.

[murf]

Bad Guys IMHO

I have spent years lobbying the NSW NPWS to keep areas open to the majority of people not just the dinks (double income no kids)

4WDing is not conducive to the aims of National Parks as per their policy so read that as you will

they are the biggest discriminators around when it comes to people with disabilities or on pensions/low incomes

National Parks are supposed to be there for the people and are paid for by the people yet a major part of the population is excluded from them for no reason

yes we need conservation and to look after our natural heritage but not on the whim of greenie say so with no scientific grounds etc etc

there will always be yobbo's so why lock out the innocent people?

why not just ban 4WD's as the drivers are hoons? are that's right the roads minister just did that

cheers Murf

[murf]

not bagging the employee's of NPWS they are the ones that cop the shit from unhappy campers its the Park Rangers up to the policy makers I have a gripe with

cheers Murf

[PADDLES]

absolutely true pinhead.

murf, idon't know what it's like down there in mexico, but up here i don't think anyone is excluded from a national park. sure, there's areas that you can't do certain activities (4wding, dirt bikes, fishing) but as far as basic access goes i thought anyone can go anywhere they like.

[murf]

absolutely true pinhead.

murf, idon't know what it's like down there in mexico, but up here i don't think anyone is excluded from a national park. sure, there's areas that you can't do certain activities (4wding, dirt bikes, fishing) but as far as basic access goes i thought anyone can go anywhere they like.

QLD have a brilliant fee structure and system and I have been lobbying to get the same system in in NSW

a mate of mine that I camp with has 5 kids still at home and once upon a time camping in National Parks (read NSW Parks) used to be a great way of getting out into the bush with your family and sitting around a camp fire instead of a TV/PC, it now costs him $55/night plus the park entrance fee now the favourite camp ground we go to has a caravan park next door for 1/2 that amount with manicured lawns water on tap flushing toilets, showers etc etc. I prefer bush camping so don't tell me to squeeze into a caravan park please

re the exclusion from parts of National Parks in both NSW and QLD, how many places with views of lakes or water falls have been gated off and people are made to walk (wheel chair) 3km return over man made obstacles all the while the road is still there as a maintenance track? I suppose it is hard to understand if you are fit and healthy but spare a thought for those with knee problems, lung problems, back problems, old age or even the obese etc. For a lot of these people the places they have been excluded from mean a great deal to them as its one of the only things in life where they can escape life's burdens and put a smile on their face

National Parks are for the people not just a select few who are fit and rich, I feel sorry for the old age pensioners that have dreamed and waited for retirement to go and see our spectacular country only to be priced out or fenced out

don't get me wrong I understand and agree with National Parks I just disagree on some of the things they are doing

we will always have yobbo's in every way I just hate it when places are closed because of them instead of policing the yobbo's the innocent are punished

cheers Murf

[yellowbeard]

One of the local guys told me a couple of weeks ago that the NSW State Gov is putting the squeeze on NPWS to raise fees (as the NSW Gov is their funding body).
Once these things go political -- like a desperate bankrupt Government such as NSW's forcing the issue -- then it gets messy. The new fees for the Myall Lakes National Park are listed here:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/Na....aspx?id=N0026
They have just been raised to $10 per person in the high season ($5 per child) and $7 per person per night in the low season ($3.50 per child). The annual vehicle entry fee here is $22, which is mandatory if you drive a 4wd on the beach, but this gets you into any of the camping areas as well (doesn't include camping fees).
Peak time is only December and January and school and public hols. The rest of the time it's the $7 rate.

[murf]

I wonder if they will drop their fees in low season up here too then?

$10 per night per person 16 and over and no family cap is wrong for a camp that has nothing but a pit composting toilet and some green sawmill waste for firewood

cheers Murf