Australian Travel - Backpacker Paradise and Houseboat Heaven in Queensland Tourist Centers

Australia is currently experiencing summer and this brings an influx of foreign tourists to our wonderful country. Some of them get a 12 month working visa, then buy or rent a campervan to do some traveling. The trouble is, most prefer to save their cash and stay on the move instead of at registered Tourist Parks. The same scenario is played out in many other Queensland tourist hubs - Cairns, Airlie Beach (gateway to the Whitsunday Islands), the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and anywhere there is sun, surf and scenery.

The backpackers set up camp at beachside spots after 5.30pm when parking meter restrictions end. They enjoy a free night's lodging and leave before paid parking begins early the next morning.

One resident told The Sunday Mail he spotted a female backpacker showering in the Cairns Convention Centre's sprinkler system while her partner cooked breakfast in their van. A caravan park manager in Cairns last week witnessed two female backpackers washing their dirty underwear in basins at the city's Esplanade Lagoon toilets, then drying them under the hand dryer.

Queensland regional councils have the unenviable task of fielding complaints from disgruntled businesses and residents. People in luxury ocean-view apartments and caravan park owners have complained that tourism hotspots like Cairns, Airlie Beach, Hervey Bay and Noosa are being swamped by backpackers living in their vehicles.

Caravanning Queensland, which represents caravan parks across the state, has estimated that backpackers camping in suburban streets cost the state's tourism industry up to $1 million in lost revenue every week. The rising number of van campers is also eliciting the wrath of luxury apartment residents, who claim they wake up to a view crowded with backpackers using streets as makeshift kitchens and laundries.

Regional Councils are issuing thousands of move-on notices in tourism hotspots across the state each year. Cairns Regional Council handed out a staggering 3032 notices for unlawful camping breaches last year - more than eight every day - up from 1845 notices in 2008.

"Council is mainly concerned with public health issues associated with illegal camping, such as lack of toilet and washroom amenities and litter often left behind by campers and cleaned up by council staff," Local Laws Compliance Unit co-ordinator Julie Wright said.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council's community response manager Sheryl Krome said the problem was getting worse, with officers issuing move-on notices and fines almost daily. "Due to the recent high number of complaints, Sunshine Coast Council has contacted van rental companies and informed them of the restrictions and in turn asked them to inform their customers of the restrictions," she said.

Free camping is not permitted in most areas on much of the Sunshine Coast.

Queensland's Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor defended the backpackers, saying they propped up regional economies when times were tough. He said: "Backpackers do try to get more bang for their buck but this is just a part of the experience of traveling on a shoestring budget".

But Caravanning Queensland president Russell Drayton slammed Mr Lawlor's attitude to the illegal campers.

"It is ludicrous for Peter Lawlor to say it's not a major problem," Mr Drayton said.

"It's a growing problem around the state; these people are freeloaders and we need leadership from the state government on this issue regardless if it's on council or state government land.

"Some councils really clamp down on it but others let it run rampant in their town and the tourists think they can do it anywhere."

With two sides to the story, I guess I am partially on the side of the campervanners, having invited two of them to share Christmas dinner at a quiet, surf-front recreation park in Maroochydore. These two young Frenchmen were charming, friendly and very grateful for the meal they shared with us. The street they were parked in did not have uninterrupted views of the ocean. They were quiet and polite and spent most of the morning down at the beach. The parking bays where their van was did not have meters, so technically they were doing the same as I was doing - parking my vehicle in a free parking zone.

On the other hand, I can see the point of view of the Regional Councils because they have to formulate rules and regulations that satisfy their resident ratepayers.

Houseboat heaven in up-market Noosa

What could be more relaxing than living on a houseboat on Noosa River a stone's throw from the famous tourist haven? River dwellers in 900 houseboats don't see anything wrong with the lifestyle, but their on-shore neighbors are not impressed. They consider these intruders are living a waterfront lifestyle without the million dollar price tag.

With more than 900 vessels now stationed in the river and its waterways, residents and businesses are concerned that their paradise is becoming the "Hong Kong Harbour of Queensland".

Even houseboat owners who do the right thing agree the Noosa River is getting crowded, with some houseboats staying illegally for months and years.

Noosa North Shore resident of 15 years Nick Hluszko said locals were not being elitist for wanting the river tidied up. "We're all paying several thousands in rates and we're under strict town planning where the others (on houseboats) are not paying rates and are not covered by any laws," he said. "It's a contradiction. It's not elitist. People are looking for fairness and that's not fair in my opinion."

Limited permits exist for permanent houseboat living for people who were living on the water before 2005, according to the transport department. All others can apply for a two-month temporary stay which can only be renewed once for three months. It costs nothing to anchor a boat and less than $70 a year for an approved mooring.

Noosa Integrated Catchment Association president Paul Willsteed said the organization will rally in 2010 to revive the Noosa River Plan which lost traction during the Sunshine Coast Regional Council amalgamation.

Houseboat dweller, Mark Cameron, who has been living on the Noosa River for six years, is one of few with a permanent permit. He defended the right of legitimate houseboat owners to live out their dreams.

"We do all the right things but we keep copping flak all the time," he said.

As for the Noosa River quandary of un-permitted houseboat dwellers, I acknowledge that this waterway should not be a 'free for all' and that regulation is necessary to confine houseboat living to manageable numbers with proper permits.

What backpackers mean to Australian tourism

I guess Australian tourist centers can't have it both ways. They want to boost our tourism, but in doing so authorities want to restrict the single most lucrative tourist sector - the young, foreign backpacker. I say - "Cut them a bit of slack. They are just young people out there experiencing life in another country and generally they are better behaved than a lot of young, rowdy Australians."

Sources:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26595569-952,00.html

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,26595569-952,00.html

Personal experience - an encounter with French campervan dwellers

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