New camping regulations are proposed to come into force april this year (Victoria)
The document gives a submission date ending - yesterday , so I replied in a hurry as below , however the DSE website states that we have to 4 march to comment.
Its damm hard keeping up with all the stuff as per my other post on DSE track closures yesterdy.
The link points to two long documents which make for interesting reading if you stick with it.
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenfor.nsf/LinkView/1AEBFC0832F294E4CA25763F00128935444A3546C0C6BD394A2569AA00787FA4
My rushed reply --------------------------------------------
Ben Plowman Senior Policy Officer, Forests and Parks Division
I refer below to the general regulations - not specific forest
reserves. The proposed regulations still set unrealistic requirements for things like soap use,
toilet waste and
camp distance from a stream.
I would like to suggest that this is the time to re-consider these and make them more relevant.
The no-soap within 50 meters was in the existing regs anyway and while it looks good on paper, is so impractical that our experience shows that it actually can lessen compliance and disarms those who try to suggest to others to "Not actually use soap in the river".
Everbody would have there shower tent near their
campsite whereas the regs would have you camping 20 meters from a river with your shower tent 50m away and any
toilet waste area 100m away.
No one is going to do that !
In order to help us help reduce the issues, please consider making the regs have more connection with reality.
Practical Seperations that would gain significant support are as follows.
Camp from a waterway - 10m not 20.
Soap use 10m not 50m
Toilet waste 20m not 100m
Robin Miller