Another c/park & caming ground to close

We live at Bargara, coastal suburb of Bundaberg Qld. The closure of the Mon Repos Turtle Sands caravan park and camping grounds from Easter 2010 has been in our newspapers with barely a ripple. Of course not... locals do not use it.

Today we took a short drive out there and got talking to an inter-stater who comes up every year. He didn't know prior to his arrival and he is devastated.

The reasons claimed for the closure are. Caravaners and tenters disturb the loggerhead turtle laying habits. Cabin ers apparently do not. The cabins are to remain open all year.

We read a sign today. A boardwalk out to the beach across swamp land is "locked 6pm to 6am daily, November to March to protect the turtles from being disturbed whilst laying" but National Parks people take up to 300 people a night (paying of course) on guided tours of the turtles even down to observing their laying at close quarters.

OK so IF the PRIVATE owners of the caravan park who claim they have not been pressured by National Parks to change their tenancy practices were fair dinkum then outside of turtle nesting season they would be open to caravaners and campers April to October. Not the case. All year closure to the likes of us at EO.

Sad news for the many "mexicans" who visit our bowling club and our region contribute to its bottom line every winter (June July August) and especially those that stay at Mon Repos.

Benny