Beach driving under scrutiny

We first went to Fraser Island in 1978 in a bog standard FJ40 on 7.50x16 cross ply tyres. Went as often as we could for years. Then you would see less than 5 vehicles a day. After a hiatus in the NT we returned in 1998. What a difference. At that time we said there must be limits on the numbers. To us it was chaos with hoons speeders and fools. There were usually rollovers, we saw the wrecks which were often held at Eurong or Happy Valley. That was our last visit, preferring our memories to the present reality.

Don't feel too ashamed Allan, the planet will fix the damage you did once mankind has gone. Not long to go now. How much time will banning vehicles from beaches buy man kind?

The response of "Bundaberg 4WD Club president Brett Lynch" is both disingenuous and an embarrassment. To suggest private 4wds are necessary to provide environmental activities is a good example of a self-interested oxymoron...

Aldinga beach SA. Council charging $ 12.p/car for non residents over the summer xmas holidays

Allan, you are clearly an environmental vandal. It might start with a seemingly harmless run along the beach but before you know it it will be grafitti on city buildings, removing heads from Colonial statues and who knows what's next. It is good that you are repenting but I'm afraid it is too little too late.

You young people of today - I don't know - really I don't !!

Kenell

Another study, more dog whistling and "Ban the 4wd's" banter gets the press headlines, makes for good copy and sells.
We 4wders up here on the Far North Coast of NSW have been lined up for the last 20+years and so the "anti whatevers" it is this week, have been chipping away slowly to get 4wds banned for the beach driving.
People have moved into the area and want the pristine look and take umbrage to 4wds being on THEIR beach whilst they are walking.
At present they are now complaining about the fish kill up here and the smell, so they want the local councils to do something, plus throw in the state government to stop pesticides and farming because it contributes to all the "soil run off' that causes deoxygenation of the rivers..hence the fish kill.
Little do some of these twats understand that in their newly built houses in their newly built subdivision contribute to the environmental hard landscape these sub divisions bring mixed in with half of the shite they put on their gardens ain't helping either being washed down the local drains...
These twats won't have a word about stopping over development along the Australian eastern coast.
But see THEIR beach with all these 4wds around..well let's get out the spears and axes!
All this bloody whinging and "we got to do something now!" and stuff the later consequences is really getting on my titts!
Enough to want to make you puke...as someone once said.
Breathe..breathe...
Ok,
I'm back..
Yes the beaches do get "Pumbled to death"..
Alfred just last week did a bang up job of damaging hundreds of kilometres of beach, killed countless wildlife and displaces countless others and what now..are we going to ban cyclones in the future!
FFS!!!!
Breathe..Breath..
Ummmmmmm, Ummmmm,
I'm fine...
I really am..
My meds will be kicking in pretty soon.
Yeh..
4wds..beaches..
Ok..
What should really be happening is grabbing out this "Hoons law" doubling the fines, impounding & crushing all these 4wders morons who disrespect the beach environment, its' vehicles road rules and are dumb enough to get caught.
Then when they get caught..throw the fookn book at them.
Damn it..
We have drones, CCTV up to our wazoo, yet are any deployed in high 4wd movements along some of the beaches for any length of time?
Nah..too hard..
Beach Permits...they will be A4 size and bright yellow, can not miss seeing them a mile away, a 4wder can pick them up in any camping store close to the place they want to drive.
Yep..
Cost per permit.. $300.00 per vehicle on a valid day, plus fill out some paperwork that will make getting rid of your first born simply easy.
The beaches should be "amount vehicle restricted" per day and tightly regulated and monitored.
If they don't have a permit..and are caught..
And they will be.
Remember we have drones, CCTY cameras, number plate recognition camera's, and internet detectives..so if they post that beach drive on that "tick thingy", and there is no permit shown, they will get caught.
If they jump through all the loop holes, pay for the privilege and it will be a privilege.
Well come on down..
A beach drive awaits..
This banning of beach driving..it's all utter bollocks!!!!

This beach driving ban does "wind me up" as I have mentioned before, the "what are we going to whinge about this week" mob, like picking the low fruit in public debate and the 4wd community is one such item...especially on beaches..plus their little "hobby horse" of tracks being closed in National Parks.
Granted that there are some real right "shite heads" out there making it hard for the rest of us 4wders, with them trashing national parks, beaches, leaving rubbish, ruining tracks and just being absolute twats.
Some of them thinking that posting it on "social media"..gets them clicks and viewers which boosts their social media profile...hence more income.
So what are the "legacy media 4wders" going to do about this increase of utter bogan behaviour..are they going to call out these idiots and show on their programmes the damage these morons are doing to our social hobby.
I'm talking to you..Mr 4wding, Matt 4wding, All 4 Adventure, 4wd24/7 and the others...
Are you going to stop roaring through mud tracks, driving up tracks during a wet season, lifting wheels up on rocky tracks and adding to tracks overall erosion?
Are you going to stop dragging your 3000kg+ vans onto remote beaches that should have been left back parked behind the sand dunes on more solid ground?
Are these blokes going to do a piece to camera and say." we are not going to go through this mud hole or this track because it will cause more damage, we will just go around the chicken track?"
Nah..not a chance..because it makes "good TV" to show mud flying, wheels spinning, dust flying and winches getting used, blokes standing around laughing patting each other on the back, because they haven't broken any thing whilst they have added to trashing another "over eroded track".
Now we the general 4wding public are paying the price for this public display of idiocy from some of these legacy media 4wding programmes.
It's a case of Monkey see, monkey do, if these public media blokes can do that..then shite heads out there do by example.
Just today.
There was a person talking on the local ABC radio whom has been studying the "Pippi" population along the beaches up here in the Northern Rivers.
His conclusion is that the Pippi population was thriving 100 years ago, but now the population is struggling and he has "observed" this close to the 4wds entrances onto beaches.
So his conclusion to his observational hypothesis.."ban 4wding on beaches".
There was little mention that 4wd beach driving has become popular over the last 15 -20 years..but no study on the definitive time line of study showing specifically that with the increase of 4wding the Pippi population has decreased.
No proper tested and peer reviewed study.
There are other variables:
A/. have not been contemplated.
B/. Not even considered nor scientifically studied for any great length of time.
Actually has there been long term scientific study done in respect to the following:
1/. The soil chemistry composition changes due to pollution, sand temperatures increasing, water temp increasing which have changed significantly over the last 100 years so the pippipopulation has suffered.
2/. The over fishing of the Pippi population by humans.
3/. Has the Pippi population ebbed and wained over significant time periods and we at present are experiencing a waining Pippi population?.

It took medical scientists studying the effects of smoking over 50 years to come to the definitive scientific conclusion from an general hypothesis that "smoking is bad for your health".

Anyway..I'm off to a Fenldenkris class to chill out for a while.

This whole problem STARTS with the 4WD manufacturers and dealers.
Almost every TV advertisement there is shows a 4WD tearing up the country.
I have a very strong objection to that fundamental attitude.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

I've always said they should have not made 4wd's any more luxurious than a 40ser cruiser and equivalent land rovers and patrols that would have kept a lot of people out of them and way more less 4wd's off road and on the beaches.

Many beaches are already closed for the reasons cited in the study so this media reaction is just a beat up on an issue that is already addressed and will continue to be addressed. I suspect some influencers also trying to get some mileage on the latest controversial topic. Nothing new to be seen here except some locations may yet adopt the closures too.