ParksQ

And it is based on responses to a survey of the users of Queensland NPs, specifically, what features do you want? Good to see the people's money being spent on something the people want. Now they only have to work on some user friendly system for people who do not have internet or phone access to the booking/registration system.

Iza

Yes this is great but will the system avoid the double booking of campsites that have been prevalent the last couple of years?

Turned up to a particular site at Hann Crossing in Lakefield National Park in June to find that the people already camping on the site had booked months in advance and could prove the system had allowed us both to book the same site.

Very frustrating and causes unnecessary problems for people trying to find alternative sites usually right on sunset.

W

Hopefully you find the technology works for you.

My wife and I visited Queensland Parks for the first time in August this year as part of a trip around most mainland states and their National Parks. We found the Queensland system incredibly bureaucratic, subject to system crashes on a number of occasions when we tried to book in by smart phone and unavailable to access from many of the parks we visited.

When we booked by phone the system operators were forced to ask the same questions even when we called again the same day to extend our stay once we actually got to and saw the park. On this occasion it ended up costing us three times the camp fee in sat phone charges to extend our stay by one night. We made the effort to gave feedback to system supervisors that a reasonable proportion of visitors are traveling from park to park and the question set for this group could be modified and streamlined to save time for both the visitor and the tele operator.

We were allocated numbered sites by someone in an office somewhere and when we got to the park found more suitable sites sat empty nearby.

The system may suite premium, high demand parks but we were forced to use it visiting parks with ample, near empty camping sites.

The system also puts the onus on campers to tough it out between them on site when booking glitches occur.

We did provide written feedback to parks management. We did write to politicians. I empathized with tele operators who admitted to the abuse they received from frustrated callers.

I took to signing and hanging signs on parks noticeboards suggesting frustrated campers contact MPs for the local area, local chambers of commerce whose members loose business when park visitors are forced to move on and media which frequently had articles and stories about the need to boost tourism. As a friendly courtesy I let the rangers know I had done this and why.

I expect the Queensland Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing has too much financial and infrastructure investment in the current booking system to address from within the fundamental problems with the booking system without pressure from outside influential individuals or organisations.

Beautiful parks in Queensland but we also left the state with overarching feelings of frustration and having been subject to bureaucracy every few days during our stay in the parks. We were relieved to cross the border into the Northern Territory as we felt we had more choice and control in our stay in NT parks (and each of the other states we visited).

I know everyone has their own experience of and reaction to the Queensland National Parks booking system. This was ours.

James Boyce

Well with all that crap going on I now stay away from the large NP's and head for state forests....Although I suspect that NP's are forging ahead with this system hoping we'll all stay away then they can really lock the gate.

Jeff