Restristions are needed, In my opinion !

[Lucky_Phill]

I agree, GBC brought up a very good point. Something I had not thought of.

The point he made sits well with me.

The poll / topic was posted to gain feedback, and this feedback will be presented to QPWS. All Govt departments reply on information supplied to them by certain sources, and sometime these sources do not provide a ' balanced ' opinion. ( tx morlers )

AS I said, it was MY observation of the changes to Fraser in the relatively short time I had been visiting the island.

Thanks all, and keep providing your thoughts.

Cheers Phill

[Morlers]

Maybe regulation aint so bad or is it that maybe regulation isnt so bad for the grey headed old farts like me that have finished there wild streak
cheers
blaze

I'm one of the grey headed old farts like Blaze or in my case more to the point a grey bearded old fart. However, I'm not so sure about too much regulation.

I have noticed a disturbing trend over the last few years (in the area north of Orchid Beach) and more so pronounced this year. I am referring to the areas sign posted 'NO CAMPING CLOSED FOR REGENERATION'.

Each year, there are more of these signs appearing and less areas to camp in. Their objective is to gradually get everyone to camp in only a few designated areas. However, the worrying part is that I have noticed the casuarina trees are dying in these 'regeneration' areas and not in the remaining camping areas. I used to camp in the now closed areas before they were closed and the casuarinas were alive and well then. They only appear to have started dying over the last few years after they were closed. Why is this so? I don't know the answer. Is it better to have casual human habitation/interaction in these areas?

Another worrying aspect is that I have gone to Fraser for the last 21 years as it is a semi-remote area and for me that is the attraction. Should it be regulated to the point that I have to camp in a designated area along with umpteen others then I may as well save my money and go to Bargara or Woodgate to camp.

The more regulation...the more fees rise...the less spent on the area...the more in gov't coffers.

These are just more of my thoughts.



Morlers

[GBC]

G'day all. just wanted to expand on my thoughts a little. Probably using the brumbies (mostly ex brumbies but they didn't get them all) as an example. Parks have a fairly strict view of what should be in a park - native flora and fauna and the occasional timber barricade which is O.K., but they need to expand just a little bit on what they are managing. These horses were part of the ecosystem from say the fifties to now. Average lifespan of a sand colic affected brumby - 5-7 yrs. So 10 generations came and went and were decimated in a quarter of one generation. Hindsight tells us that they were assimilated into the island's food chain in a big way as is evidenced in the starving dingo debarcle. But it goes deeper than that. Dingoes weren't big brumby steak fans until parkies took over from foresters. While forestry had the island there were dumps, and the dingos could scavenge as they have been prone to do for the last 40 odd thousand years, mostly at night and they didn't bother anyone. Fish frames could also be consumed by the dingoes etc. After all these animals never used to be native, they were taken there by the traditional owners, and have always had a symbiotic relationship with humans. Now I believe there may be a penalty for looking at a dingo incorrectly.
My point to the parkies is - take a wider view as to what should be managed, and seek a different mentality to the lock it up one being cast about at the moment. Have the balls to say - "if you enter this area we cannot guarantee your safety" - Most of us who care about the environment you seek to protect never asked you to, and don't respect the types who would..... let them camp in the dingo proof camp sites - and make sure the dingo proof camp sites are on the mainland away from the dingos because Fraser belongs to our 4 legged mates as much as you and me. (Take a breath Cam)

[finding_time]

I agree totally with GBC the parkies are making it very easy to access the parts of fraser they want you to and locking up the rest . I have the fond memorys from my childhood of the trip from hook point to north of waddy it generally took most of the day and alot of digging , towing, and tricky 4x4ing .and of course the goat track. As the board walks started to be made the poeple came and came and dad stopped going , " these board walks are going to wreck the island" he use to say , smart guy that father of mine.

The island should be open to anyone that wants to go but it shouldn't be layed it on a platter, if you want to enough you will get the gear and training to go. That should be the cost of going.

As i said i agree with GBC

Ian

Ps. I'm about to take the boat up there and without the new tracks it wouldn't be as easy but if they removed these aids and i couldn't take the boat i would quite happily live with that.

[Big_Kev]

for the grey headed old farts like me that have finished there wild streak
cheers
blaze

So what are you trying to say here OLD FELLA? LOL

[FNQCairns]

Can someone ban me please from Frazer! I have just finished reading the thread

My last visit was 2 weeks long in 1984, I think I prefer to remember the place as it was then peacefull heaps of room to EVERYTHING and somewhat of an adventure even if sometimes (once or twice) we actually did need to pull over on one of the inner tracks because we met another car.

Dont think I will ever go there by choice again now. great shame really.fnq

[Big_unit]

Australian residents should be allowed to visit F I as they please, perhaps a cap on numbers during peak periods. Non Australian residents should only be allowed to visit on group tours provided by licensed operators who adhere to strict rules & policies. No more self drive backpackers or hired 4wds, I ve seen them in action and they are the worst offenders. Its not their vehicle and thats their attitude. Basically if you dont own your 4wd, then you should participate in a group tour.

Give the Rangers more powers & finances to police the Island and heavy fines for offenders. Vehicle confiscation seems to stop a lot of the rot.

Closing different sections of the Island in a yearly rotation would also help in keeping the conditions better.

If the Islands protection doesnt start to improve soon it just wont be worth going. My view may seem very heavy handed and I make no apologies for my approach. Fraser Island and many other places need serious protection to happen now.

[PinHead]

Wow..non aus residents to only be allowed on the island on group tours? I thought this was supposed to be a free country..only free if you are a resident. Does that mean that the young idiot with his V8 powered Hi Lux and all his drunken yobbo mates are permitted...The last time I went to Fraser was in about 1993...first time was in 1980...the difference was amazing..I can only imagine what it is like now..I would not waste my time or money even bothering to go there. Moreton is similar...first time I went there was about 1970..no vehicles..great fishing...could stroll along the beach without any problems (cept the brumbies going for a trot along the beach)...heaps of wild pigs...same story..will not bother going there again...both islands are probably like having a holiday in the middle of a freeway now...should establish some parking areas..then walk from there to where you want to camp or fish...that will save the islands any further damage.

[gawby]

A lot of top shelf points put forwarded here.
Maybe maybe a meet and greet at frazer island at say eli creek.
Set up camp there, no permits for camping or vehicles and make it a tent embassy to protest about the restrictions and the parkies.
If we are moved on or fined it would show discrimination against us when the tent embassy in canberrra has stayed for so long.
This is realy probably a silly thing to post but one day maybe we will be doing it to keep what is ours and not the nat parks.
Graeme

[Barrymundi]

When we camped at Fraser we stayed right on the beach and woke up each morning to see the sun rise, dingoes walking along the beach and the occasional brumby. It is the most spectacular place I have ever had the privilege to stay.

At Easter the place changes with the amount of people and cars. Statistically you will ALWAYS have non conformist in a group. The rubbish was the biggest problem. We made a point of taking our rubbish, plus other bits we picked up off the island with us.

Rules and regulations will be ignored by the wollies and increase the cost of going on holidays for the rest of us.

I have seen a lot of destruction on Fraser and Double Island Point by the hire 4X4 and backpackers, solution, no idea.

The only real disappointing thing I can say about Fraser is that it is not Rugged, Remote or difficult. Most tracks are nicely graded, signs everywhere. I have never been bogged on Fraser.

As for the Tree Hugger groups, watch out for the hidden agenda, if they have their hippy ways we will all be locked out, just like the Green Zones on the Reef. I found it interesting to read through this post why Lucky Phil made this Post
[hr]

The poll / topic was posted to gain feedback, and this feedback will be presented to QPWS. All Govt departments reply on information supplied to them by certain sources, and sometime these sources do not provide a ' balanced ' opinion. ( tx morlers )
[hr]

Maybe Phill has an agenda and should have posted this when he put the post up. The poll ceertainly has a slant on it.
Why didn't you have - LEAVE IT ALONG or GET RID OF ALL THE TREE HUGGERS


Al

[NMK]

This happended just near my camp site - we where watching a car do doies during the night and when we woke up in the morning it was there.

We never herd it crash though so im not sure if it was the same car, all its tyes where shreded the whole way round.

Don't know how they would of shredded them on the sand??

[NMK]

Pic #2

[Big_unit]

When a tyre is driven whilst flat, it ends up shredded like that.

Cheers
James

[bootyou]

We'll my wife an I camped at inskip for a few days and the que of a morning and the vast numbers of people going to frazer Island turned us of going there instead we went some where else that was private and the perfect holiday destination. I think Frazer is over run and I haven't been there I wish I had gone there 20 years ago. but on another note I think that Frazer is a fantastic draw card for the towns around it as it has dramaticlly improver the economy in these towns so there is both good and bad arguements regarding frazer If you don't like it go some where else as we did.