Scenic Rim farmer Robert Roberts says he has been running a side hustle to keep his cattle property afloat.
He said he had listed his 200-hectare Sarabah property on Hipcamp, an online booking platform, to earn extra income.
The 54-year-old said he set up about six campsites along a creek that runs through the Gold Coast hinterland property and charged travellers about $30 a night in 2020.
That was until the council stepped in last year and told him and his neighbours he needed a development permit or would have to shut the operation down.
High cost
One of six campsites on the property. (Supplied: Hipcamp)
Mr Roberts said he was now considering selling his property because of what he said was a costly permit process.
That is because his farm is in a bushfire, flood and environmental area, which means he would need multiple expensive reports.
“They’re saying that it’s unsafe for anyone unless we pay a specialised person to come and do a report on each one of those overlays which could cost tens of thousands of dollars for each report,”
Mr Roberts said.
In addition to the reports, he said he would also need to make development applications to change the use of his land.
The creek makes it an idyllic location for campers. (Supplied: Hipcamp)
Mr Roberts said the whole process could cost more than $100,000 and it would not guarantee that he would get a permit.
“You just don’t get the return. No businessperson would ever look at that as being a viable option,” he said.
He said the loss of the camping revenue meant it would be unsustainable to manage the land and now he was looking to sell the farm that has belonged to his family for more than half a century.
“It would take me five years to 10 years to pay all of the council fees and all the extra costs associated with reports and everything to pay it all back — and it’s not worth it.
“If we can’t run small businesses on our own land to sustain the farm. What do you do then? You can’t make money out of nothing.”
Robert Roberts says his family has owned the property since 1971. (ABC Gold Coast: Danielle Mahe)
Change on the horizon
The Queensland government has since released new planning guidance to help bring in new laws to allow private camping on properties.
The government said it wanted to boost agritourism ventures and farm-based enterprises, like Mr Roberts’s small camping business, across the state.
Mr Roberts’s local council, the Scenic Rim Regional Council, said it was now reviewing its local planning laws.
A spokesperson said the council wanted to find a solution for camping operators while also balancing safety and environmental concerns.
Getting a permit to host campers is costly. (Supplied: Hipcamp)
But in the meantime they said property owners would still need to apply for a permit, regardless of the review.
“It is important to be aware that the regulations around the ability of landowners to host campers on their properties have not changed and will remain in the short-term,”
the spokesperson said.
Mr Roberts said he welcomed the state government’s position.
However, Bond University associate law professor Tammy Johnson said farmers in the region would likely have to wait for years before any proposed amendments became law.
“If council decide to proceed, then you’ve got to get it into the legislative process to get the amendments done through parliament and it’s just time consuming,” Ms Johnson said.
Tammy Johnson says illegal camp operators risk hefty fines. (ABC Gold Coast: Glenn Mullane)
She said farmers who continued to operate illegally could be fined up to $33,000 or sued if someone was injured while on their property.
“They’re putting themselves in a really precarious legal and financial position,”
Ms Johnson said.
“My words of advice to any of the property owners would be, how much is it really worth to you to be able to let these people come in and camp for a few dollars a night versus what the potential costs are?”
Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said in a statement the government would undergo community consultation with any proposed changes.
Hipcamp spokesperson Mitch Coveney said the Scenic Rim was one of the most popular destinations for bookings in Australia, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the region each year.
He said the camping experiences could be important for farmers seeking to diversify income and also to boost the regional economy.
“With its natural beauty and proximity to major population centres, the region is well-placed to benefit from growing demand in low-impact camping on farming and rural land,” he said.