Shire of Augusta Margaret River investigates illegal practices during peak tourism season

Shire of Augusta Margaret River, situated in south-western Western Australia was updated last week on an investigation into issues faced by the community each year during peak tourism season, including illegal camping.

With the popularity of Augusta Margaret River as a tourism destination continuing to rise, council previously decided to establish a project team to explore the issues and propose solutions ahead of next summer.

Nick Byrne, Director Sustainable Economy, and Communities acknowledged while blatant illegal camping is clearly an issue, other challenges including short and long-term accommodation availability and affordability as well as the changing preferences of travellers and visitors must also be considered to deliver a genuinely effective solution.

Byrne noted “we need to get a clearer understanding of how increasing visitors are increasing the pressures on all of our community resources and facilities each summer.

“In peak season many of the impacts attributed to illegal camping could be due to other pressures caused by these increased visitator numbers as well as the evolving trends in how people visit, stay and use the attractions in the region.”

Byrne also said the option of an iterant campsite would be considered as part of a review of the Shire’s Holiday Parks and Campgrounds strategy.

Byrne added “as we have previously said, the solution to all of the issues created during the peak season isn’t as simple as creating an overflow camping area though it is something we will explore.”

The final report is slated for presentation at the September Council Meeting.