Two simple bush rules

We have just begun our journey around Australia. I went to the beach today at Bargara with my 7 & 4 year old and we walked around enjoying nature but also picking up broken glass, cans, plastic bottles and even a pair of socks. We proceeded to through them in a nearby rubbish bin. The kids were so proud of themselves and couldn't understand why it was so hard for others to do the right thing.

Chell

Mate don't blame the tourist, there is a road out of Kempsey to Dongdingalong past a Settlement that had the edges mown recently, there was so much rubbish in the clippings it was not funny. After the settlement the road was clear. I,m not pointing the finger but it was!

To me the best example is the Hermannsberg Road. I noted the increasing number of cans and cartons that littered the road over many kilometers to virtually stop at the "Dry Area" sign.
I followed an old Falcon back to Alice with a child on the rear shelf and a couple more running around, with the occasional can tossed out .

Regards Philip A

gday marc yes your right with comments however you mention your wife is a traditional owner of these lands perhaps a word to the many other less apreciaciative traditional owners would be in order as these are often in my opinion the worst offenders in this area cheers tom

Why do I bother making any comments here at all. I was not pointing the finger at all, I was merely stating the obvious. I did not state whether it was tourists, I said that everyone should hold by the two rules, locals, travellers, everyone. Everyone seems to be up in arms for no reason, and I was foolish to make such a comment.

I do realise that people in communities have some things to learn about sanitation, and I have no doubt they will learn. It was clearly stupid of me to try and point out that it has to start somewhere, and I have no recollection of pointing the finger at anyone.

In closing, we did fing two bags of rubbish, that had been broken open by small animals. There were identifying papers and the like in them. I have boxed the rubbish, and will be paying to send the rubbish back to them.

Gooday,
You are on to my PET HATE.
I am currently in Mount Magnet in WA, having travelled some 6,200 Km since early August, coming West via Donoghue/Plenty, then The Great Central Road to Laverton.

Now some will laugh at this, but on the Great Central Road, alone we stopped no less than 300 yes 300 times, I was taking photos of cars, trucks caravans & trailers that have been abandoned, WHY you might ask, well for a personal project. Almost at every stop I had to get out to get the photo I wanted, sometimes walking up to 500 yards to get to the wreck, and the amount of rubbish, litter, whatever you wish to call it was overwhelming. I would collect as many glass bottles as I could carry as I headed back to the vehicle each time, placing them in the Gas Bottle Box on the drawbar of our 21 ft caravan, then when I found a bin which was very limiting, I would empty them out and start again. Only being able to hold about 15 at a time there are a few less now.
For years I have had a rule of picking up at least 3 pieces of rubbish whenever we pull into a rest area or stop, everywhere there is always rubbish, put it in a bin or take it with me.

My thinking is, and I have a dream, that "EVERY TRAVELLER" would do the same thing when they travel, we would make a hell of a difference.

Now is that too hard?.
Next, a 20 Cents Minimum Deposit on all drink containers, able to be redeemed at any town with a depot.

Now that we look like having a Government who MAY be listening, let's get onto those who are going to hold the lazy Pollies who have not cared for years to ransom, and get something done instead of talking about it.
Off soap box now, wait for arrows.
Cheers,
Boroma 604

We stopped at the RIP Lookout near Tom Price about a month ago and filled 8 bags of rubbish from just around the immediate area.

We always try to leave an area cleaner than we found it, but I shake my head in disbelief sometimes as to why people some are such grubs !! I wonder what their homes are like.

Good grief. All people have to do is NOT ADD TO IT. Yes, people in communties have some things to learn. InMUlan we frequently get the kids out picking up all the rubbish, other times the adults do it. That is not the point.

On main arterial roads there is too much rubbish, from locals, travellers or whoever. WE all say that we love our country, we only have to show that we do. Yes my wife is a traditional owner, that is why we go for frequent drives and clean up what we can.

AS noted, Education is what is needed.

Great call Marc

Cheers
Bucky

FWIW Marc, I'm totally in agreeance with you. I have posted Rants on EO several times over the years about rubbish in the bush. It doesn't take much effort to clean up after ourselves, yet a lot of people just treat Australia like a rubbish dump.

Also FWIW, in regard to the aboriginals, I have driven through Hermannsburg & Finke recently, and was initially appalled by the rubbish there, but have since come to realize that they have a different outlook to us in that regard. So, again I'm in agreeance that education is the key!

Just an opinion....

Cheers

Brian

Marc,

You keep posting and don't be put of by those who have accidentally interpreted the post the wrong way.

Had to laugh at Chambers pillar, the rangers were there with a dad and his mother and 3 lovely kids from the local community teaching them all about the area.

Kids were running around having a great time throwing a couple of boxes of tissues around the countryside, it looked like a ticker tape parade in the end with tissues everywhere. Note!!!! I am not having a go at the locals, I just saw the funny side. No harm done and the tissues they will return to the earth quickly.

Beside every road in Australia there are truck loads of rubbish, it is people and I don't know if you can change it. The only way is to reduce packaging and charge a return on all containers. When I was punting trucks around the country I wouldn't stop at road side rest areas unless I was running on empty, because of the rubbish
Have a good one

Great topic Marc. I totally agree with you.

Having been teachers at a High School for our working lives it is something we particularly notice when free camping and travelling around this beautiful country.

Getting the kids at school to pick up any rubbish in the playground was one of the most difficult jobs we had to face out of the classroom. Even though they were surrounded by it, it was always 'I didnt drop it' and it was quite an ordeal to force the issue many times!
And bins were placed within metres of these kids - they just couldnt be bothered walking a few steps to deposit the rubbish. I suspect there are many travellers and locals who feel the same way unfortunately.

Cheers

Heather

I have just returned from an eight month sojourn around this country & the rubbish is the main factor i will not travel again,it is absolutely appalling the amount of rubbish at road side stops & along the sides of the roads & some of the people that are travelling around is an other reason,& i wont go into that on here.

Cheers.

Greetings, great idea. As a result of your post we have packed some garbage bags for"found rubbish" on our next trip. I nominate this post for "positive post of the year".
WD

Marc if you want to see rubbish just look at all the stuff strewn along Tonkin Hwy near Horrie Miller Drive. A real good advert for anybody getting off an international flight.

It's not just the bush where people don't give a tinker's damn but the cities as well. Many in our society have become a bone idle, disrespectfull mob who consider our roadsides their rubbish bin to do as they please with.

Yep litterers pea me off big time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it's about time we took a leaf out of the Singaporean's book. Very little rubbish there.

Gday,

On a lighter note.

Geez......if it wasnt for all that crud I could still be wandering out in the desert around Nyirripi.

I was heading to to Nyrripi about 20 years ago in a truck with a backhoe and big mobs of bore column on it. We decided to go the back way through Mount Wedge for something different and ended getting a bit off course, because once we got into the sand hills it was a matter of holding your foot flat and going where the truck took you......
The trip took a few hours longer than we expected and next thing there was no track and it was pitch dark.... but then we spotted some rubbish......Yipee....
We've got to be close we thought.
We followed the rubbish for about an hour, zig zagging across it trying to stay in the thickest part.... we started to wonder how far out we could be until we spotted it ........ Hallelujah......Car bodies and dogs for Africa, and then the old Billy goat.......one more sandhill and the lights of Nyrripi appeared. It was like an Oasis.
Until the sun come up!

LOL


My opinion....
Your all right....education is the only answer.
And there are two ways to go about it.......The carrot approach....or the stick.
We've tried the carrot and it hasn't worked...now lets try the stick!
Its pure laziness and lack of respect......thats all


Cheers
Hairy

Our absolute pet hate - rubbish and toilet paper - we always like to think we leave an area cleaner than when we arrive. Never use a rest area if we can help it - too many people without shovels just doing their business anywhere!
Murray

Posting the rubbish back to them.

Thats a cracker

Good on ya

Timber................sorry marc or what ever your calling your self this week, why do you go out of your way to make people feel they have said the wrong thing? I saw you do it on another forum that eventually you were banned from.
ps hows that big non exisitant station of yours going?

Hi Marc

I have no problem with your post, rubbish left by others really gets up my nose too.

I just can't help wondering if you have decided to make this forum your own personal soap box. Seems all you do is complain about something eg: challenging info on the site (whatever that means), and now rubbish, which has been done to death.

All are entitled to their opinion, and as I said, I agree with you on this one, but do you have anything positive to say?

Cheers, Dave

Marc, I can't disagree with anything you have said. We are regularly appalled at the amount of rubbish left in the bush. Like you, we regularly pick up other peoples rubbish - someone has to do it - if we all leave it to someone else, the whole country will become a garbage tip.

Unfortunately, some took your mention of your wife being a traditional owner as an opportunity to bash aboriginal communities. Yes, many communities have a lot to learn, but some areas not frequented by aboriginal people are trashed as well. Trashing our country is not dictated by ethnic background, but by attitude. Some aboriginal communities we have visited are a credit to the inhabitants.

Like others, I'm in an area dominated by indigenous inhabitants (Borroloola, NT). Some locals have great respect for the country, others little. Same can be said of white fellas and others. While Borroloola has a way to go, it is much better today than a few years ago and in my view, improving all the time.

Yes, education is important, but it will take time to have an impact. In the meantime, the more of us who make an occasional effort to clean things up the better.

Norm C