Alcohol restrictions at Finke, Maryvale NT

Interesting point, do they expect people to just pour out $100+ of Scotch, or what ever into the dirt?? Probably book you for littering while they watched.

Or drink everything you have, get well over .05, drive thru town, get nailed for over 05, goto jail lose license etc...?

We saw those signs on the way in too - can't magine they expect tourists to turn around or pour it all out ..........because we didn't intend to stay at Finke, we just ignored the sign and carried on through - my guess is that's what the authorities expect you do to anyway......should you want to stay overnight or longer, that would be another matter - I got the impression that Finke is not for staying at anyway (not sure how I got that idea).

You can drive through Finke in about three minutes at 50kph. Those signs have been there for years and years. The main street is a Public Road. Police do have powers of seizure and confiscation of property when things are alcohol related within communities but I doubt that the Territory Police would bother with tourists.

Same goes with Maryvale. There you don't actually drive through the community. The store is on Maryvale Station Land and so is the access road.

Alcohol laws are pretty strict but there is a fair amount of leeway practised in the application thereof. For instance here in Peterborough SA we now have the whole of the Main Street thoroughfare as a DRY ZONE which means in effect that you are not even allowed to have an opened carton or flagon or cask in your vehicle. The police have the powers to prosecute you if you do. But this is not a practical thing and it should never happen that people are targeted for carrying alcohol in their vehicle. The laws have been imposed to stop drunken idots lurch around and start fights in the public domain.

When in the Territory do not leave booze or other valuables for that matterwithin sight inside your vehicle.

I wouldn't worry about it I was up there the other weekend not a problem. Just keep it in the car and don't pull up in the main street for a beer. You don't have to actually go thru the town (just the outskirts) once you see it you probably won't want to stop either!!
Cheers
Tom

I like a drink as much as the next man but I believe if we are to travel through communities with alcohol bans we should respect those bans. Substance abuse is a big problem in many communities and the restrictions are there for a reason. Either don't take booze with you or find a different route.

`We went through Finke and took the decision to just drive through with our beer on board. I dont have an issue with dry communities and I understand what they are trying to achieve, but as a traveller with only one carton of beer on board I dont see problem. Even the Great Desert Treks Maps dont mention the ban on carrying alcohol through Finke.
The number of wine bladders in the scrub around these communities is however a bloody disgrace.

Kulgera is not an option when you are heading for Chambers Pillar either.