Alcohol around Uluru/Kings Canyon/Palm Valley

My understanding is that you are allowed to transport alcohol through restricted areas as long as the container is unopened and you do not intend to consume it in the restricted area. so you couldnt take a half full bottle of spirits or wine but you could take an unopened one through.

you are fine to drink in yulara and kings canyon but I would imagine palm valley is dry given its proximity to Hermannsburg but you might want to check with parks and wildlife.

I know of no reason whatsoever why you cannot transport your supply of alcoholic beverages into, through and out of the areas you mention.

Even in "restricted" areas, I would still keep my supply of red wine, beer, etc. covered in my vehicle. If you don't "advertise" there should be no problem.
The police, if about, need probable cause to search your vehicle and they are the only ones legally allowed to perform a search.

Regulations in some indigenous areas are meant to stop unscrupulous people from bringing in bulk supplies and flogging it to the locals.

My logic is that I'm not going to go without my recreational supply of beverages because other people can't control their drinking habits and I would not throw away any I had on board, or "binge drink" to use it up, because I happened to be travelling from point A to point B, through a "restricted" area.


Bill.

Good Link to Info Requested


Cheers

Milkieboy,
Goggle NT.gov.au and the answers you seek is on the front home page.
It seems that the NT Gov has restricted consumption but not the movement of alcohol, unlike the QLD gove on Cape York.
Cheers
Trevor

Gday,
I'm not going to get into a what's right and what s wrong and what Id do and what you can get away with argument.
I've lived with this snot for 20 odd years and have had a complete gut full of it!

Heres the best I can give you.......

A restricted area is not a prescribed area!
Restricted means NO!
Prescribed means call your lawyer because even the liquor commission cant quite understand the abortion the do-gooders have developed, and they have approved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT
After ringing, Police...CLC... Liquor comission and the Mayor......
The rules were explained a bit like this ...sort of....
You can carry unopened liquor through a prescribed are if you can prove you are travelling to a non prescribed area.
eg. A national park.
BUT...being a lot of National parks have now been handed back to Aboriginal people , those then fall under the umbrella of "intervention" which would make them Restricted....meaning NO ALCOHOL.


So...
Stuart Hwy => Uluru ..No worries.

Uluru => Kings Canyon ......No worries......just don't detour off the bitumen.

Kings Canyon => Palm Valley camp ground via mereenie loop........Im pretty sure you come into a prescribed area ( so the above rules apply) until you reach Hermansburg which is restricted, but being your going to a National park which I think hasnt been handed back yet you might get away with it if you get caught.

Palm Valley Camp ground to Alice Springs ...exactly the same as above except Alice, where you are allowed alcohol but not in a public place..........

Dont worry about it too much...I only know of people getting large fines...its been years since Ive heard of any one loosing their vehicle, belongs and jail time.

I hope that has cleared it all up for you.

Cheers
Hairy

Ian

I do not pretend to know all the laws, with alcohol restriction, but at the same time, I would not worry too much, on last years trip, (3 months) we managed to have one or 2 nips, most nights.

You can purchase alcohol at King's Canyon and at Yulara Resorts freely, at the Bar's there.

And the other places are not a problem, I had several rounds with some people from the Netherlands, at Palm Valley, as did most vehicles camped up there. And why not, after a long day's drive, it's a good way to relax.


What you need to be sensative about is openly flaunting the consumption of alcohol, in sensative areas, ie. in communities. If I are camped up in a Community, I would not drink alcohol, but out of town and away from it all, I see no harm.

Cheers
Bucky

We had a few drinks with the ranger at Palm Valley last year after he gave a campfire talk. Really nice fellow.

Regards
David

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies very helpful.

Sounds like it wont be too much of an issue on our trip. Only 10 days till we leave so I better start packing.

Ian

Take your own , to buy beer at Ayers rock you need to take out a 2nd mortgage , You will see some strange coloured mountains on the Loop near Hermansburg , Green is mountains of empty VB cans and RED mountains of Midstrength.

When booking into the resort camping grounds at Kings Canyon and Yulara, you are given a voucher enabling you, as a tourist, to purchase alcoholic drinks at their outlets. This is no doubt to screen out the locals from the prescribed areas purchasing booze.

Motherhen

Liquor bans and penalties
2007


The Little Children are Sacred report identified alcohol abuse as the 'gravest and fastest growing threat to the safety of Aboriginal children'.
Alternative Format
Liquor bans and penalties PDF[62kB]
Overview
The Government has legislated to:

•ban liquor in prescribed areas of the Northern Territory
•restrict the amount of liquor brought into communities through requirements for take-away sales across the Territory.
The laws came into effect on 15 September 2007 under the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Act 2007.

Liquor bans in communities
The liquor bans apply in prescribed areas in the Northern Territory:

•freehold land held by a Land Trust under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976
•other Aboriginal communities described as Northern Territory Community Living Areas
•Aboriginal living areas described as 'town camps'
•other areas declared by the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services & Indigenous Affairs
Lists and maps of communities and town camps in prescribed areas at 21 September

If you live in or visit a prescribed area and:

•Consume, possess, supply or transport liquor in a prescribed area, you could face a fine of up to $1,100 for a first offence or up to $2,200 for a second or subsequent offence.
•Are found with 1350 mls or more of pure alcohol in a prescribed area, you could be charged with supplying liquor and may face a fine of up to $74,800 or up to 18 months imprisonment.
You could also be fined $550 if you damage or remove a sign advising people they are entering a prescribed area.

Declarations


Are there any special defences?

There are three defences against prosecution under the law. It is your responsibility to prove you meet the conditions of these defences. The following information will help you decide whether these defences apply in your particular circumstances.

Tourism defence
A special defence is available for people who are part of an organised tour and are engaged in recreational activities being provided by a tour company. This defence only applies to Northern Territory national parks in prescribed areas, and Endyalgout Island on the western side of the Cobourg Peninsula. To use this defence, the recreational activities must be consistent with the park's management plan or similar document. You should check with your tour operator whether your recreational activities meet with this condition.

The defence requires you to be consuming liquor responsibly, and for this to be secondary to the organised recreational activity.

The defence does not cover free and independent travellers. The defence is not intended to provide open season for anyone to take liquor into or drink liquor in areas where it is banned.

Recreational Boating/Commercial fishing defence
The law also provides for a defence where a person is engaged in recreational boating or commercial fishing activities in a prescribed area.

To use this defence your boat must be on water, (such as a river or estuary or on inter-tidal waters between the low and high water mark). Nothing in this defence allows you to bring liquor across a prescribed area to get to the water. This means the boat must enter the water from outside the prescribed area, either from the sea or from non-Aboriginal land. You cannot claim this defence if you are on a river bank or beach.

Transportation defence
As mentioned earlier, the law provides a defence for transporting liquor across a prescribed area, as long as you can prove that your final destination is outside the prescribed area. Under this defence the liquor must be in your control and must not be consumed whilst travelling in the prescribed area. It may be difficult for you to claim this defence if you have a half drunk bottle of wine even though the cap has been screwed back on or the wine was drunk outside the prescribed area.

Laws about purchasing take-away liquor
If you purchase larger amounts of liquor at a take-away outlet in the NT, you will be asked for identification and details of where the liquor is to be consumed. (See below for valid forms of identification.)

Licensee requirements
Licensees and their staff are required to comply with identification and recording requirements when selling take-away liquor. When you purchase $100 or more of liquor or more than 5 litres of wine (including two or more containers of at least 2 litres each) in a single transaction, licensees are required to sight proof of your identity. Valid forms of identification include a passport, Australian driver's licence, NT Proof of Age card, NT Seniors card, Larrakia card, KRALAS card, club membership card (only for the club from which takeaway liquor is being purchased); and ACN or ABN on business letterhead (for corporate orders). People selling take-away liquor are required to record:

•your name and address AND
•the address or name of the area where the liquor is intended to be consumed.
Register of Details of Liquor Sales

Harsh penalties apply for failure to comply with these restrictions:

•for licensees – a maximum fine of up to $34,400
•for employees of licensees – a maximum fine of up to $6600.
In the case of an employee's breach, if a licensee cannot prove that all steps were taken to ensure that the employee was aware of these requirements, the licensee also faces a fine of up to $18,700.

A licensee must keep records of large purchases for at least three years. Failure to do so will result in a fine of up to $5500.

Sounds like the Northern Territory might be a good place to travel through on the way to somewhere else

I think you will be Ok as long as you use common sense.
We did all those areas last year and carried a couple of bottles of wine and some beer for personal consumption. ( as I am sure many do ). A quiet drink with your meal is not going to attract any problems. If you go with slabs of beer on the roofrack, or walk down the street with a tinnie in your hand it would be a different story.

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like the best approach is to not bring attention to yourself.

I will let you know how I go.

Ian

I still agree with sandman...
Why should I modify my recreational activities to suit laws that don't , and never will work, because of a minority of people that can't control themselves.