Letter from the Minister's Office
Dear Mr Lawler,
Thank you for your letter of 19 June 2006 concerning camping at Inskip Peninsula. The Minister has asked me to reply on her behalf.
I understand that at the last meeting of the Inskip Point Working Group on 19 June 2006, consensus was reached on a number of key points that will form the basis of the recommendations from the Working Group to this office. I also understand that it was the general view of the committee that no further meetings were necessary, but that some issues will require further progression and investigation , such as the concept of using an “event management” model during peak periods.
Delays in getting the requested permit data to the Group were the result of the data not being as readily available as first thought. The Minister is pleased to hear that the data has now been supplied and that this can be used to determine the feasibility of an event management model in conjunction with the Cooloola Regional Development Bureau.
Judged by the minutes taken at previous meetings, the Minister believes that overcrowding during peak periods at Inskip Point is a real issue. However, your suggestion to relieve this pressure by opening up previously closed areas to camping is problematic. Over many years, the Queensland parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) have progressively closed and revegetated areas deemed inappropriate for camping, such as foredunes, or where new sites have become established through overcrowding in peak periods. To abandon this process and revert to the previously unmanaged camping situation at Inskip Point 15 years ago would be a step in the wrong direction. In the meantime, current uses will continue. A longer-term option may be to investigate an alternate camping area in the vicinity of Rainbow Beach, or elsewhere in the area, to ease the pressure at Inskip Point during peak periods. I am advised that almost 50% of respondents would use an alternate near-beach camping site if one were available.
The newly constructed fence adjacent to the MV Beagle Campground was erected to prevent further access to informal sites caused by vehicles pushing into the bush from the road during the 2005-06 Christmas/New Year period. I am advised that there are still many sites available on the inside of this fence that can be accessed from the formal campground roads within MV Beagle.
The purpose of the Working Group and subsequent survey was to gather and consider the opinions of a range of stakeholders and visitors on this issue in order to determine a away forward. However, with such a wide spectrum of ideas and points of view, some degree of compromise between competing interests is always required.
The Minister will now consider the advice from the Working Group and the QPWS before deciding the best options for resolving any outstanding issues. You can be assured that no changes to the current management arrangements or the existing number of campsites are planned at this stage.
The Minister thanks you for bringing this matter to her attention. If any further information is required, please do not hesitate to contact Anthony Thomas of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service on telephone 5486 3160
Yours sincerely
Ross MacLeod
Senior Policy Advisor
(Environment