Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 at 11:51
G'day All
Sounds ok to me - the less people that go up there the better it will be next time we head up! The only negative comment I would make about the Cape is the large number of absolute morons you come across!!!
Apologies for the length, but below is a copy of a letter to the editor I planned to send to a notable 4wd mag after our last trip - I didn't get round to it as the softer side of me prevailed and I decided not to embarass the people I mention. I've changed it slightly to account for this.
Anyhow - I provide it for interest and education only...
Dear Ed
I've been a sunscriber for some time and recently read with dismay that Porters Rd. has been closed. Another nail in the coffin of tracks open to the public - which leads me to the reason for this letter. As has been said time and time again - it's the behaviour of a few - that spoil it for the many. Clearly, saying this alone isn't enough - so how about some public humiliation of the few!
This message is not a whinge - but designed to serve as a warning! I'm a younger 4wder, mad keen about visiting Australia's best spots. In May-July '02 I completed a single vehicle trip up
Cape York. During this trip we had the pleasure of meeting and/or travelling with some wonderful groups of people. However, we also saw some acts of disgrace and blatant environmental vandalism - the sort of behaviour that results in the closures we all hate to see! I'd like to use one group of three vehicles as a "special" example.
Whilst staying at the remote
Bathurst Bay, this particular group arrived and establish
camp some distance away - no problem, until one of the three vehicles went to collect firewood. In the tropics, even in winter, a large fire is simply not necessary. This vehicle dragged several large lumps of tree back along the track, past the campsites of others at speed - but while doing so, a very large stump came loose from the drag chain - ok, the driver may not have noticed. However, the act of dragging the wood back along the sand-dune track badly ploughed up the track, ok it will erode anyhow - but that's not the worst of it? The next act of vandalism truly amazed me. A short time later they drove back along the track - and drove around the lump of wood -
carving a new track through the delicate dune vegetation adjacent to the track!!!! We all know that driving on dune vegetation is simply not on! All it takes is for a
ranger to visit the area around that time, which runs through
Cape Melville NP, and another case for closing areas such as this is made!
Further, we were unfortunate enough to come across this group again some time later! We were camping at Palm Creek with two lovely retired couples we'd met on the track that day. These three vehicles arrived late in the day, blasted up out of the creek with their heavily modified vehicles and trailers, and set up
camp nearby - again no major problem (although we made it out with half as much erosion and spinning wheels). The next morning they were up and gone early - but the state of their
camp site was something horrific!!! They camped close to the water, and failed to dig holes for their human waste - which included all the smelly stuff,
toilet paper and even dirty nappies!!! At least 6 adults and many kids can make a lot of waste in one night!!!!
So, to the people in the ....................(vehicle descriptions were here), the ............ (2nd vehicle), and the .......... (3rd vehicle) - SHAME SHAME SHAME - I hope you know who you are, you're a disgrace!!!!!
To the majority of us out there who do the right thing, keep it up - but when you see idiots like these people out there - make a note and get their acts recognised - perhaps that will curb their behaviour!
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Follow Up By: Leroy - Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 at 14:45
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 at 14:45
Toilet paper and nappiers.....we saw it everywhere. If it wasn't for this site we wouldn't have discovered 'burning the
toilet paper'. We had one of those long gas lighters and took that along with the TP and the spade. Wish we could educate everyone.....
Leroy
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Follow Up By: Troopie - Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 at 15:16
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2003 at 15:16
Amen - it's not that hard!!!!
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