{"id":50121,"date":"2026-07-14T03:13:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T03:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/50121\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T03:13:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T03:13:39","slug":"aussie-councils-illegal-camping-crackdown-sparks-backlash-as-on-the-spot-fines-increase-to-345","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/50121\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie council’s illegal camping crackdown sparks backlash as on-the-spot fines increase to $345"},"content":{"rendered":"

Residents in one of the nation’s popular seaside tourist towns are divided amid a major council rampage on illegal camping<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, illegal camping \u2014 particularly among caravaners and travellers \u2014 is an issue<\/a> that’s long left the council grappling with how best to manage the problem.<\/p>\n

The Noosa Council has been working with police to address the longstanding issue<\/a> throughout the area in response to “growing community frustration”.<\/p>\n

Residents have long complained of campervans filling car parks at beaches<\/a> and parks along the coast, blocking access to their favourite beaches.<\/p>\n

Currently, $345 on-the-spot fines stand for offenders, which went up by $11 on July 1.<\/p>\n

But not all locals across the community believe they’re effective, with many supporting enforcement but left wondering if the fines are having the intended effect.<\/p>\n

Noosa MP Sandy Bolton believes fining people for illegal camping will do little to address the underlying issue, particularly when it comes to rough sleepers.<\/p>\n

That’s because some people resort to illegal camping out of necessity rather than choice.<\/a><\/p>\n

“If people have nowhere else to go, enforcement simply shifts the problem rather than addressing it,” she told the ABC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is there an illegal camping problem in your area? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Council<\/p>\n

Noosa Council is continuing its crackdown on illegal camping.<\/p>\n

(Noosa Council)Council says it receives hundreds of complaints<\/p>\n

However, many campers, including those in tents, campervans and caravans, frequently ignore local regulations, setting up in undesignated areas despite signage or restrictions.<\/p>\n

The council said it has received 295 complaints about illegal camping this year, on top of the 414 complaints in 2025.<\/p>\n

Among the issues, complaints this year about illegal camping include reports of used sanitary items and toilet paper left at beach hotspots, the smell of urine and faeces, and a shortage of parking for locals.<\/p>\n

Bruce Gordon, a Noosa resident, said he supported the crackdown but believes the fines are too “steep”.<\/p>\n

“I think the fines are a bit steep, but then again \u2026 obviously warnings don’t work,” he told the ABC.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

“The government once said there’ll be no homeless children, and that was 10, 15 years ago; it’s still happening \u2026 it’s just getting worse.”<\/p>\n

Local laws and environmental health acting manager Clint Irwin said the council was trying to find the right balance.<\/p>\n

“It is distressing for locals to see because obviously there is waste and rubbish \u2026 the community gets rightly upset \u2026 Noosa is very in touch with the environment,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’re trying to balance having an infringement or punitive-style approach with a compassionate approach.”<\/p>\n

Nearly $12,000 worth of fines were issued by Noosa Council and Queensland Police last month.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A group of travellers from the UK were each slapped with $333 fines for illegally camping at Noosa Spit.<\/p>\n

(7News)<\/p>\n

Late last year, a group of UK travellers who illegally parked in a popular beachside car park overnight were each slapped with a $333 fine during a major council blitz.<\/a><\/p>\n

Council officers and Queensland Police visited several problem spots<\/a>, including Tingira Crescent, Claude Batten Drive, The Spit, Dog Beach, National Park precincts, Lanyana Way and Beach Access 50.<\/p>\n

In total, 13 fines and one caution were handed to travellers unlawfully camping at hotspots<\/a> throughout the region.<\/p>\n

The five mates from Wales were among those woken by police in the early hours and issued a fine for camping overnight at Noosa Spit during the blitz.<\/p>\n

They’ve been travelling around Australia for six months, sleeping in a single van.<\/p>\n

They claimed they had no idea they couldn’t park and stay overnight in the beachside car park, which is often filled with campervans.<\/p>\n

One member of the group said it was six in the morning when they were woken by “a policeman shining a torch in my face”, one said.<\/p>\n

They said they didn’t receive a warning and were instead each handed a hefty $333 fine. That’s $1,665 in total for one night’s stay.<\/p>\n

Council’s longstanding battle with illegal camping<\/p>\n

Noosa’s Development and Regulation Director Richard MacGillivray said, “Locals have had enough”.<\/p>\n

“The mess that they leave from cooking and cleaning and other waste is accumulating and having an impact,” he said.<\/p>\n

Council has been attempting to address the issue<\/a> for some time, and in recent years, has conducted regular compliance blitzes<\/a> targeting illegal campers who park where they shouldn’t<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

Residents have been complaining about the issue for years with council’s enforcement so far not deterring campers.<\/p>\n

Previously, illegal campers have been warned of fines if caught unlawfully parked in camping hotspots.<\/p>\n

“Which is much more than they’d pay for a night at one of our campgrounds,” MacGillivray previously said.<\/p>\n

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