Value For Money - National Parks/State Forests

[Derek Bullock]

We have been paying to camp in National Parks and State Forests for a number of years now. Do you think we are getting value for our dollar? The standard of facilities varies from park to park. What are your thoughts?

Derek

[Luke]

G'day Derek,
Compared to the price of a normal holiday you can't beat camping either way and as long as some of that money(preferrably all of it)is channelled back into the conservation side of it I don't mind paying the money.Facilities are not a big concern for me personally.I think if you make it to comfortable then the people that are not real nature lovers will turn up and disrespect the place.Pristine and natural are a lot of the reason I visit these areas.
Cheers Luke

[Katrina]

No complaints! You don't get nothing for nothing! I feel priveleged to be able to go to some of these beautiful spots. Happy campin (and fishin!) Katrina

[Luke]

G'day Katrina,
Sounds like you and my wife would get along. We might hsve to get a M/F comp going. Now I reckon that could be fun,lol
Seeya Luke

[Slates]

My opinion is that of the last few posts in that I don't mind paying if the money is spent on the area I'm camping in eg: toilets, roads, park ranger/fisheries officer wages etc.

Cheers, Slates

[Bootlegger]

We have been camping at Kauri Ck. a great spot 8). Recently the Dept of Natural Resources has decided that access to this spot will no longer be free and have introduced a charge for the privilige of camping >For this they provide nothing other than two self registration points for you to put your money. >We do not have an issue with paying for a service or facilities, but take exception to paying for the privilige to access an area in a free country. The area where we camp is accessed via private property which we pay the owner for this right of way and to store our caravan. This is just another revenue collecting excercise by the government breaucrats that will once again deprive the average person who prefers camping in isolated areas.

[adrian]

g'day folks
i have to say that camping in national parks used to be free and then they did have toilets and good camp areas now you have to pay for these things which used to be free. and most of which are not upgraded eg. camping in kenilworth state forest camping areas were free now you pay but nothing has changed . deepwater national park near 1770 has been a place we have gone to for years but we stopped going as the fees are not being spent in the park. so in my opinion this is another money grabbing idea which has gone on way too long I now don't go camping where the I don't see an improvement in the area after 2 visits . the visit is about 6 months a part time enough for some type of improvements
Anzac

[Simon]

I agree with most of what has been said,
It does however cost alot to manage the impacts that campers, myself included place on an area. Just because you are asked to pay a few bucks to camp in a NP or SF doesn't mean they have to provide facilities. It's all about managing the impact that the campers will place on an area.
Even 50 camper nights a year in some of the more out of the way areas hardly covers the costs of managing the areas as is let alone providing facilities.
Simple things like acccess, fire management, pest and weed control or maybe even god hopes you never need it some form of emergency service, let alone conservation practices, all those things which you don't see anyone do but keep these places as natural and safe as possible with the limited funds available for the adventurous folk out there who wan't this experience.

These days you don't get nothin for nothin.

Cheers

Simon.

[Derek_Bullock]

I have pulled this one up from the archives after Phill's comments in the News Board about the prospects of user pays for access to National Parks in Queensland.

Have read back through the posts and I know in some parks the facilities have improved.

Some of the comments are over five years old now. What are your current thoughts.


Derek

[gunnabuild1]

Dont mind paying the fees cheap as chips really as far as facilities go the more of em you have and the easier access to these places is the more likely the toilets and bins and whatever else the national parks have built and paid for with our fees and taxes will be burned down or otherwise damaged in someway.
Dont know how to stop them doing it but just sick to death of taking the family somewhere I remember as being really nice and finding that it now looks like a warzone with some extra rubbish thrown around.
Must be frustrating to be a ranger.

[fishplukka]

been going to double island point for over 20years dont mind paying camp fees for camping on beach! not many improvments ! they need public loos!
there are alot of improvements not seen but it does cost alot to keep these placing going ! if everyone cleaned up after themselves maybe less expensive !

[Bob H]

I agree with most of what has been said,
It does however cost alot to manage the impacts that campers, myself included place on an area. Just because you are asked to pay a few bucks to camp in a NP or SF doesn't mean they have to provide facilities. It's all about managing the impact that the campers will place on an area.
Even 50 camper nights a year in some of the more out of the way areas hardly covers the costs of managing the areas as is let alone providing facilities.
Simple things like acccess, fire management, pest and weed control or maybe even god hopes you never need it some form of emergency service, let alone conservation practices, all those things which you don't see anyone do but keep these places as natural and safe as possible with the limited funds available for the adventurous folk out there who wan't this experience.

These days you don't get nothin for nothin.

Cheers

Simon.

well said simon i agree with you totally. bob h