End of Free Camps in Shark Bay

Just to be clear is it $10 per car, person, week, month, visit ????

If it per visit and you could take a family for a month, I would say that was pretty cheap.

Just sayin

Phil

Have never been to this place so it's hard to comment but $10 is a fair whack to pay for an overnight stop with a bin that you may/may not use. On the other hand, it isn't going to break you. More to the point, sounds like it's a pretty well-visited area, in which case, a nice little earner for the local bureaucrats for doing flick all. After all, somebody has to pay for em. They get more creative by the day with their never ending ways to make a dollar. They're getting worse than used car sale yards. It would be nice if some good news came out of these people for a change.

Hazo,

The last time I was at Whalebone, a couple of years ago admittedly, the bin was almost empty but the whole site was littered with rubbish, disposable nappies and even a couple of little piles of crap(the real stuff) complete with the compulsory dunny paper.
It was, despite the scenery, not a pleasant place to camp o/night that trip.

All this has to be cleaned up by someone, usually shire staff, and they have to be paid

If travellers are not going to respect these sites is it any wonder that fees are being charges to cover tidying up the mess left by inconsiderate dropkicks, F/wits or whatever...

At least $10/night is better than having all the Denham coast areas being a No Go area.

Just my thoughts

Disco.

We recently travelled the WA coast from Perth to Exmouth in our camper trailer.
What were once camping spots on the coast are sign posted NO CAMPING AIRIAL SURVEYLANCE FINES APPLY
We are herded into caravan parks like Cervantes where you would not let the kids go to the amenities because they are so grotty.
We thought we were wingeing until we met six people from home who had hired three Apollo camper vans from Darwin to travel the coast to Perth ... never again. Cannot pre book ahead first in best dressed arrangements etc..
Go to France for a holiday in a camper, its cheaper and the parks really know how to look after you.
At one free camp with toilets (we have our own chemical toilet) there was a sign on the door and a pole to push the ##it down and if you were a gentleman you would go next door and do the ladies. Pay ten bucks for that ????
Even the locals working in the information centres think the councils are giving us campers a raw deal. If we stop coming they will not be needed as resorts look after there own tours and accommodation.

Its not the $10 bucks, I was really on about, its the principle of what was a free area is now being charged for, but not a camping fee but an adminiistration fee to issue the permit to camp !

There are nil facilities only a bin and yes the place could be a wonderful spot, but when I went in there a few weeks ago for a sticky beak, it stank due to the piles of rotting sea grass that had washed up after the recent winds, and was also infested with flies.

The walkway viewing platform at one of the camps is very nice but again due to the wind and elevation not always pleasant.

I think that it needs pointing out that these are not overnight rest areas but 24 hr camp spots provided by the local council and in huge demand. If there was no permit system they would be totally crowded out and completely trashed. At least the council regulates camping a bit and should be recompensed for this cost.

Gday,
Nothing is free these days........if an area needs permits and someone has to issue them, there will be a cost.
Then there is the cleaning and maintaining cost too.