Tougher stance on campers

JOEL RITCHIE

KIAMA Council is planning to investigate ways of managing the phenomenon of informal camping in the municipality.

A report tabled to the last council meeting said there was a trend towards tourists in self-contained vehicles camping on Crown and public reserves or next to roads.

The campers often used their makeshift sites for up to a week, the report said.

Council rangers identified 28 sites in the Kiama Municipality where informal camping occurred.

Among the most popular sites were Kiama Harbour, Blowhole Point and the end of Terralong Street near Kiama Showground, the south end of Kendalls Beach, Gerroa's Emery Reserve, Gerringong harbour and the north end of Werri Beach.

There may be other sites that could accommodate informal camping, the report side.

To combat the trend the council voted to restrict parking to four hours between 7pm and 7am, to ban vehicles longer than 6m and erect signs at the specified sites as funds become available.

The council also voted to investigate potential sites that could be suitable for informal camping.

Tourism Kiama manager Nicole Smithers said the motor home market was set to boom in the next decade and that measures must be implemented to manage the issue.

"I have seen four to six vans near the rock pool at different times," Mrs Smithers said.

"The areas affected are highly scenic and they need to be policed. We could look at new areas that could accommodate informal camping, but managing it is the issue."

The public and Tourism Kiama have expressed concern that informal camping was a blight on the landscape, unfair to people who pay to stay at formal campsites and puts a strain on public facilities such as toilets.