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New Fees Sign in The Pines


ajfclark

16-Oct-2012
7:53:36 AM

This doesn't seem to align with the usage of the majority people that use the campground:

and raises a few questions... Like:

- How do you get 6 people in a car?
- Are they going to define sites now?
- What happens to those that come by themselves without a car?

pecheur

16-Oct-2012
8:16:38 AM

I agree with all of what Andrew said, and have my own questions:

- If you have multiple tents from one car (let's say four single person) do you / are you expected to be on one somehow defined campsite?

- do you get multiple tags in case you have multiple tents (even four people in one tent is unusual), VCC / uni groups will often have as many tents as passengers, or do I just grab more envelopes to obtain the permit?

- Why did they change a relatively policable system to something more difficult to manage?

White Gold

16-Oct-2012
8:33:51 AM

How do they know how many cars you have there or who they belong to? Do you get permits for those as well....


wombly

16-Oct-2012
8:44:07 AM

Some discussion of this over on the tiptoe ridge thread. Can some bright spark who knows how to create a link to such do so?


ajfclark

16-Oct-2012
9:00:58 AM

Sure: some previous discussion

I figured this should get its own thread though so there was more chance people would see it.

chalkischeap

16-Oct-2012
9:19:45 AM

A scary sign and no follow up seems to be the only thing that Parks Victoria can afford.

Regular visitors mostly ignore it. Visitors from overseas either pay up, worry or both because they can't work out the complications.

Is it worth it for the tiny revenue that they receive?

maxdacat

16-Oct-2012
9:39:20 AM

Couldn't the 5 nearest tents to each other claim they are a "site" and pay $3 each?


shortman

16-Oct-2012
9:53:03 AM

On 16/10/2012 maxdacat wrote:
>Couldn't the 5 nearest tents to each other claim they are a "site" and
>pay $3 each?

For sure if there is not more than 6 people and one car.

maxdacat

16-Oct-2012
9:58:10 AM

Ah didn't notice that....to be clear i'm not against paying my fees there but a 750% increase seems a bit stiff.

prb

16-Oct-2012
10:27:51 AM

$15 per night whether you are one person with no vehicle or 6 people with a vehicle is crazy. Something like $3 per night for each person and each vehicle would be sensible.

Gareth

16-Oct-2012
10:55:35 AM

We should all give them a call and email them today so they get the message that this system won't work for us. Sooner the better. Mention lack of consultation and inappropriateness of the system proposed (ie many individual campers compared to other campsites)
131963
info@parks.vic.gov.au
There's a feedback form on their website as well.

hotgemini

16-Oct-2012
11:34:54 AM

So, just to keep this thread at the top, I've just emailed the Horsham Council's tourism office and the info@parks address above.

I'd strongly encourage every else to do the same and to post here with a confirmation after you send the emails to keep this thread moving.

-Adam.

gfdonc

16-Oct-2012
12:14:24 PM

I've emailed.

matthewp

16-Oct-2012
12:25:02 PM

Emailed


cruze

16-Oct-2012
12:29:54 PM

Mmmm... That sign (and the posts on this forum) raise a number of questions in my head as well.

What is that money going to be used for - track maintenance, replanting, maintenance of the facilities (digging bores, tanks, cleaning, etc)?

IF so then why do climbers feel that after spending $60-80 on fuel for the weekend (plus wear and tear on their car) that they can't shell out a few more dollars each in an effort to keep the Park looking reasonable. I am yet to meet a genuinely impoverished climber. In the main we're all just overeducated middle class types with far too much free time on our hands.

Or is the money (if indeed anyone does actually pay) just being funnelled into the State coffers...

gfdonc

16-Oct-2012
12:51:36 PM

> why do climbers feel that after spending $60-80 on fuel f

Your point is valid.
My objection is that a per-site fee is silly where there are no marked sites. It will be difficult to administer. The only side benefit would be to encourage people to car pool. Fuel tax does a good job of that already.

My other objection is that long-term solo travellers (pretty common) are unfairly penalised since the 'minimum' fee is now $15 per night (or a 400% increase).


Eduardo Slabofvic

16-Oct-2012
1:04:16 PM

On 16/10/2012 hotgemini wrote:
>So, just to keep this thread at the top, I've just emailed the Horsham
>Council's tourism office

If Horsham Council Tourism staff had their way, it would cost a lot more than $16 per night, and there wouldn't be a tent in sight.


ajfclark

16-Oct-2012
1:04:37 PM

On 16/10/2012 gfdonc wrote:
>Your point is valid.
>My objection is that a per-site fee is silly where there are no marked sites. It will be difficult to administer.

Exactly. They used to be able to count tents and check tags. Now there'll be multiple tents per 'site' and cars all over the place belong to which site? The only easy solution to that is to mark sites I guess (or return to the old system).

>My other objection is that long-term solo travellers (pretty common) are unfairly penalised since the 'minimum' fee is now $15 per night (or a 400% increase).

$15 is 750% of $2.

hotgemini

16-Oct-2012
1:15:45 PM

Eduardo: I made it clear in my email that instead of an organised trip with a couple of dozen people going to Arapiles, we've canned that and are going to Tasmania instead.

maxdacat

16-Oct-2012
1:29:21 PM

Worth thinking about what resources the average climber is using by staying there:

road - does it ever get graded?
water - from pre-existing tanks
buildings - not exactly the latest and greatest
camp sites - might involve some regeneration and rotation etc
tracks - not cheap but shared my many day users as well
anything else??

$2 a day seems pretty fair for what you get. A $15 a night charge (potentially per person) would put off the long termers and overseas visitors for which the Pines is known for (maybe not a bad thing in some cases :p)

There are 117 messages in this topic.