'People are grubs': Man makes disappointing discovery at national park

A man is disgusted after he found a NSW National Park littered with garbage.

The man told Yahoo News Australia he visited Clyde River National Park, near Batemans Bay on the south coast, on Sunday when he came across a heap of discarded beer bottles.

He had been out on the water for three hours when he stopped to stretch his legs for 15 minutes.

“I’m just disappointed in knowing people leave all their rubbish behind,” he said.

“If you want to take your kids there for an overnight adventure, you just couldn’t do that at the moment with the worry of a child stepping on a bit of broken glass, or whatever else could possibly be hiding under a leaf or something.”

He said he has “no idea” who was behind the litter.

“General rule of thumb is to take everything back with you, obviously they were or are just grubs,” he said.

He shared the photos on Facebook too with people who also shared his disgust.

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“Pigs,” one man wrote.

Another man wrote he’s witnessed similar littering at sites in the Blue Mountains and “other amazing places”.

“It's unbelievable isn't it?” he wrote.

Another man wrote that those that left the litter have “no respect for anyone”.

“Those sorts of people wonder why things get shut to the public,” he wrote.

Despite the garbage, the man said he’ll be going back to the park this upcoming weekend.

Only this time he’ll be bringing garbage bags.

“I’ve only got a little boat, but I’ll take garbage bags and containers to put what I can in because personally, when the island recovers a bit from these fires, I wouldn’t mind having a camp there for a night or two,” he said.

Much of the parkland was burnt by the Clyde Mountain Fire which burned through more than 84,000 hectares. The fire also led to the closure of the park from December 31.

It remains closed to the public but the fire is currently under control.

The Department of Environment, Energy and Science spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the “photographer and the dumper accessed the site via boat despite safety warnings”.

The spokesperson reminded people the park is closed and “remains unsafe for public access”.

“Visitors are reminded that anti-dumping signs and laws are in place at Clyde River National Park for a reason,” the spokesperson said.

“There are a range of offences associated with littering in national parks, starting at $300 per offence and increasing with severity.

“NPWS has previously issued fines for littering, and is currently working with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to target dumping in national parks.”

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