Double Island Point area over Easter

Hi Folks,

We just got back from the easter break and we stayed at the Noosa North Shore Beachfront Caravan park. This was formally the old wilderness resort and has recently been taken over by the council. They are spending a bit of money on the place and it should be quite good in the future. We really enjoyed it.

On Good Friday we drove up the beach past all of the beach camping area and people were crammed into every available spot two and three deep in places. I don't think I have ever seen it so crowded. Went past again on Saturday and I reckon about two thirds of the people were gone. I thought this was a bit strange and then yesterday in the Sunday Mail newspaper I read that National Parks Rangers and Police started doing camping permit checks and those that didn't have them were evicted and this was why the numbers thinned out so much.

Also got stopped at a random breath test on the beach and noticed that the police were processing a number of people they had busted off to the side of where they were doing the tests. One woman drove up to the RBT while we were there and she had kids hanging out of the tailgate of her car and one standing up through the sunroof so needless to say she got moved over to the side and I would think she was in strife. Mobile radar units were also doing big business on the weekend on the beach.

We saw some absolutely crazy stuff in 4x4's over the weekend and I can see why the police and ranger presence was so heavy. The best one was two guys in 80 series cruisers who had attached a snatch strap to their towbars respectively and were having a contest to see who could break the strap. There were people with kids etc close by and one guy walked over to them and told them to stop doing it and a bottle was thrown at him and then a heap of abuse, the worst coming from a young girl in one of the cars. It certainly doesn't do our cause any good when this type of rot is going on.

My inlaws live at Rainbow Beach and my father in law keeps telling me that he thinks it will only be a matter of time before beach camping in the area will be stopped.

It's great to see everyone having a great time but the minority group of yobbos are really making it tough for everyone else.

I'll get off my soapbox now.