Camping ban fears after trail of destruction left by tourists on popular Aussie beach
One resident fears that the mess will lead to rule changes.
Local Aussies have been left feeling disappointed and “dumbfounded” by the bad behaviour of tourists who spent their Christmas break camping by the beach.
The once pristine Noosa North Shore of the Sunshine Coast are now covered in litter with discarded camping gear, including new tents and popular cabanas, which were abandoned by holidaymakers fleeing the extreme weather that battered Queensland in recent days.
“A big thank you to the rangers who will have to pick up these people's mess!” said the woman. She told locals that campers abandoned their gear to return home amid worsening weather conditions. “I was dumbfounded when one group said they left a new camp trailer the roof was torn off,” she added.
Locals fume that tourists had ‘no intention’ of cleaning up
Locals were left furious at the scene, fearing that the mess would lead to a ban in camping so close to the beach. "Just a matter of time and no one will be permitted to camp at these beautiful places," said one fuming local.
“Most of that stuff looks like normal rubbish you would have had in a garbage bag and just thrown it in the back of the car,” pointed out another. “Think they have no intention of cleaning up. Maybe charge a bond on each camper and only refund when all clean ups are done.”
“This is becoming a yearly thing,” added a third. “The grotts leave their rubbish because they know they can't be found once their off the beach, It really is sad that so many have a total disregard to the area and social etiquette.”
Qld slammed by huge storms
Over the Christmas period, Queensland was hit with destructive winds, flash flooding and large hailstones, causing holiday mayhem for many.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned “several waves of thunderstorms” will be hitting the southeast corner of the Sunshine State on Saturday, with large hail, lightning and heavy rain already being recorded.
'Irresponsible' behaviour on Aussie beaches
It's not the first instance of bad behaviour on Aussie beaches during the festive period. South Australian government made a major rule change for after tourists’ irresponsible acts last Christmas left a trail of destruction.
Visitors descended onto Goolwa Beach in South Australia to enjoy their holidays last Christmas but irresponsible four-wheel driving with wild manoeuvres left the sand dunes damaged. Mayor Keith Parks said it would take "years" for the popular beach to recover.
Now, the South Australian government has set new speed limits to protect beachgoers and the delicate ecosystem. "Goolwa Beach is still recovering from the damage inflicted by irresponsible 4WD activities in the sensitive dune areas over the 2022 Christmas period," Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes told Yahoo News Australia.
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