Latest news with #NoosaCouncil
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Yahoo
Council introduces tough new rules to force out illegal campers from today
An Aussie council inundated with reports of illegal beachfront camping has introduced new rules to force out travellers accused of taking up parking spots and leaving behind a mess. Those caught breaking the rules from today, Thursday July 24, will be issued $333 fines for illegally parking overnight at two new locations in Queensland's Noosa Heads area. It's the latest measure by Noosa Council as it attempts to stamp out the ongoing issue plaguing the region. The new nighttime parking restrictions will be in place at two beachfront car parks — Beach Access 50 (Peregian Esplanade) and Victory Park (Lorikeet Drive) — which will see the area become a no-parking zone between 10pm and 4am daily. It comes as complaints to the council from Peregian Beach locals have surged, arriving almost daily over the past month. "We've received a significant number of reports about overnight camping, cooking, loss of amenity and mess left behind — the issues are occurring daily,' Noosa Council's Acting Local Laws Manager, Clint Irwin, said. "These new trial restrictions help address the issue and strengthen our enforcement powers." The parking restrictions are an expansion of a trial already underway at Noosa Spit, where restrictions have received positive community feedback, according to council. 🚐 Illegal car park act highlights big 'problem' in tourist town 🏕️ Tourists at popular beach ignore council 'blitz' on illegal act 🌊 Locals react after council's big parking change to stop illegal camping Council focus on travellers breaking the law Last week, Noosa Council shared footage of its latest blitz against travellers caught squatting on public land — with 20 fines handed out in one weekend, bringing the total to 50 fines in a fortnight after 30 infringement notices were issued a week earlier. Across the last couple of years, the council has embarked on many compliance blitzes, targeting illegal campers who park where they shouldn't, as well as those responsible for leaving council reserves and public areas in a messy state. "We're doubling down with joint enforcement blitzes and regular patrols to keep places like Peregian Beach and Noosa Heads clean, safe and enjoyable for all," Mayor Frank Wilkie said. However, Irwin reiterated that the new rules are about stopping travellers looking for a free night's accommodation, not those experiencing genuine homelessness. "These rules are about stopping illegal campers,' he said. "People experiencing homelessness are not the target of this trial — they'll be referred to support services." New signage to 'dispel any doubt' about parking rules New signage has been put in place to alert drivers of the change in parking rules, along with new no-camping signage at a car park at Lanyana Way, Noosa Junction. 'There are no new parking restrictions as this car park is busy with people working and dining in the area at night, but the no-camping signage will help dispel any doubt among campervan travellers that setting up camp there will result in a fine," Mayor Wilkie said. Council urged local residents to report any instances of illegal camping via the council website, Snap Send Solve or by calling (07) 5329 6500. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Video shows council's dramatic plan to tackle illegal camping trend: 'Get out'
A major east coast council has continued its crackdown on illegal camping in the area, handing down another 20 fines to travellers caught unlawfully squatting on public land over the weekend. Noosa Council shared footage on Thursday showing an officer approach a camper in the early hours of the morning, waking the tourist who was asleep in a tent atop a 4WD. "Morning, Noosa Council, I need you to hop up, please," the council officer can be heard saying in the video. "I need you to jump out of bed, I need to have a chat," she said, prompting a confused grunt from a man inside. The latest crackdown saw a further 20 people issued fines, bringing the total to 50 in the last fortnight after 30 infringement notices were issued the prior week. Across the last couple of years, the council has embarked on many compliance blitzes, targeting illegal campers who park where they shouldn't, as well as those responsible for leaving council reserves and public areas in a messy state. With the help of Queensland Police, the latest blitz focused on eastern beaches hotspots, including Victory Park at Peregian Beach, where residents continue to report a large number of campers illegally staying overnight. Noosa council vows to defeat illegal camping Director of Regulation and Development at Noosa Council, Richard MacGillivray, said it was working on "several fronts" to curb the frustrating trend. "Information from locals about where the campers are congregating, dumping rubbish and using parks and gardens as toilets continues to guide our enforcement efforts, both jointly with police and our own routine patrols," he said. "We are working with camping website providers and social media platforms to ensure these forums are only circulating accurate information about where travellers can lawfully park overnight in Noosa." Council said it will also be expanding the 10pm to 4am no-parking signage trial at Noosa Spit "into other areas" to curb illegal camping, including Victory Park and Beach Access 50 at Peregian. To ensure the $333 fines are paid, council will explore several enforcement avenues. "International visitors aren't exempt from paying the fines," MacGillivray warned. "If they don't pay, there are means of pursuing that debt through the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) and can be flagged with immigration as they attempt to leave or re-enter the country." Special considerations given to those 'genuinely homeless' MacGillivray said people battling homelessness wouldn't be targeted. "There are occasions where our staff come across local people who are genuinely homeless and living in their cars because they have no other option," MacGillivray said. "Of course, we don't fine people in this situation, we link them with local support agencies that can offer them safe accommodation and other assistance." The council worker said it's the illegal campers seeking a cheap holiday who the authorities are targeting. "Those who think it's OK to leave a mess, disrespect our environment and monopolise our parking areas for long periods," he warned. Illegal car park act highlights big 'problem' in tourist town Tourists at popular beach ignore council 'blitz' on illegal act Locals react after council's big parking change to stop illegal camping Noosa Council offers a range of campgrounds for travellers. The council says they are purpose-built for campervans, offering powered sites, cooking facilities and toilet and bathroom facilities. "It's at these facilities that travellers should be parking up and camping overnight, not our streets," MacGillivray said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
Council warns against common beach act in popular Aussie tourist town
Aussies who have flocked to a popular tourist town for the school holidays have been warned against partaking in a common beach act amid fears for the country's fragile coastline after wild weather. Noosa Council urged locals and visitors this week to avoid the temptation of making sandcastles in the dunes that line its iconic beaches, which are still recovering months after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred smashed the Queensland-NSW border. 'Digging in the dunes can collapse tunnels, trap people under the sand, and damage fragile vegetation which slows the natural rebuilding of beaches after storms,' the council warned locals and travellers. The innocent act also 'risks the nests of local wildlife and their eggs like rainbow bee-eaters and sea turtles,' it said. To help the coastal town's dunes return to their former glory and keep people safe, the council encouraged beachgoers to create sandcastles closer to the shore line. Visitors should also avoid playing and trampling on the dunes, keep to the public paths and stay off the steep drop-offs, it urged. While the warning has drawn mixed responses from Aussies online, oceanographer Ruth Reef told Yahoo News there is good reason for the council's concern. 'The beaches along the east coast of Australia have been experiencing erosion due to a series of storms in the recent past,' the head of the Coastal Research Group at the School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University explained. The beach now has a profile that is steeper than those typically seen in calm conditions and a 'lot of the beach sand in front of the dunes has moved offshore', she said. 'The remaining sand is the sand held together by the dune vegetation, so it is very important to leave the vegetation intact to prevent further erosion in this vulnerable beach state. 'Beach vegetation is fragile and easily destroyed. The cliffs formed by erosion are exciting for children especially who love jumping off them, but again, it is important to maintain the sand as is,' Dr Reef told Yahoo. Playing in the sand in 'the more mobile part of the beach, the beach slope and what remains of the lower berm' shouldn't be a problem, as any sandcastle will be redistributed when the tide comes in, she said. Aussies warned against 'prohibited' act causing major beach damage Beaches will take 'years' to recover after wild weather batters coastline Devastating change taking place at Australia's 'best beach': '20 million of them' Earlier this year, volunteers with Coolum and North Shore Coast Care captured photos of people walking atop the area's delicate dune systems, raising concerns about safety and the potentially dangerous impact on nesting native birds and endangered turtles. 'The beaches have copped an absolute flogging all along the coastline. It will take a few years for these beaches to come back to their pre-cyclone state,' Sunshine Coast's Beach Matters president Rachael Bermingham told Yahoo News at the time. While it might take time, the 'good news is that beaches most often recover their pre-storm shape' once conditions are calmer, Dr Ruth said. 'But again, the dunes are part of this and the sand they hold is precious and hard to recover, so please listen to the restrictions and stay off the vegetation.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Noosa Council workers locked in pay stoush in expensive holiday destination
A dispute over a new pay agreement for workers who help keep one of Australia's most popular holiday destinations moving has been stretching on for months. Multiple bouts of strike action by Noosa Council workers since February have been responded to with lockouts, or threats of lockouts, from council management. At least half a dozen union-aligned workers have been locked out of work until Monday, June 9, the unions said. That industrial action has meant some services such as pothole repairs and bin collections have not been completed. Noosa Council said it was working hard to maintain a balance between workers' rights and service delivery for residents. The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission has also become involved, with a meeting scheduled for Friday morning which led to a new offer from council which will go to union members for consultation. Prior to the meeting, Noosa Council CEO Larry Sengstock said its offer was fair and reflected increases in cost-of-living. About 200 staff members at Noosa Council are represented by either The Services Union or the Australian Workers' Union. Both unions have said they were hoping for a pay rise of at least 15 per cent over three years. They said that would bring Noosa Council salaries more on par with other local councils, including nearby Gympie, where the cost-of-living was lower. Tom Rivers, from The Services Union, said it used to be accepted that salaries were lower in Noosa because it was traditionally seen as such a good place to live that it was worth it. But with the median house price in Noosa Heads exceeding $2 million or $1.3 million in the shire, according to CoreLogic data from 2024, Mr Rivers said that was no longer fair. "It was always casually thrown around in Noosa that you're working and living in paradise, you don't need to get paid as much," he said. An outdoor worker at Noosa Council on a band 4 would be earning about $61,000 a year. At nearby Gympie, the same role would attract $68,000. "Even at the top end of the [agreement], we're still not talking about that much money for living in such an expensive town," Mr Rivers said. Michael Anderson from the Australian Workers' Union said the council's figures showed 30 per cent of their workers could not afford to live in the shire. Many lived closer to inland towns such as Gympie where housing was more affordable. Earlier this year, Noosa Council offered a pay rise of 15 per cent over three years and four months. "A lot of our members are quite disgruntled by that extra four months," Mr Rivers said. With Noosa Council looking unlikely to move, Mr Rivers said that could mean the prospect of further industrial action. Last week, the unions took their call for higher wages to the public, doorknocking and talking to residents. Mr Rivers said that had garnered a largely positive response, with the public mostly sympathetic to the unions' calls. Mr Anderson agreed. He said that extended to people understanding that rates would need to increase. "They understand that workers need and require a livable wage," he said. On the other hand, Mr Anderson said it has been "extremely difficult" to deal with the council throughout the process. "Many of our members have experienced intimidation from … managers," he said. He said in his experience, although lockouts were a "normal tactic", Noosa Council's approach had so far been at the "extreme end" of an employer's response. Mr Rivers said the council's reaction had seemed "disproportionate" at times. He said he had also heard members were concerned about staff retention rates, as many came and went within a couple of months, increasing workload for others and having an impact on morale. Mr Sengstock denied the council has been trying to "intimidate" workers throughout the protracted industrial action by imposing and threatening lockouts. "Our normal services have been suffering, and the residents are now starting to recognise that and demand their services are taken up," he said. "It's a balancing act. I'm really trying to look after our staff, but also, you know, I've got to be conscious of delivering the services that our residents are paying for." In a statement, a spokesperson for Noosa Council said it was "committed" to reaching a solution, and would respond to unions' claims in meetings with the commission.
