Campfire Chat

[davidgate]

The intro to this forum "Think of it as a campfire chat with the kids around".

I don't know about the rest of the country but in Queensland, National Parks management appear to be banning campfires in more and more parks.

The days of the campfire chat are under threat. :(

Dave G

[Landy110]

Sadly it is getting harder and harder to enjoy nature as did our ancestors.
Good thing they can't ban it here :D

[KarlB]

The intro to this forum "Think of it as a campfire chat with the kids around".

I don't know about the rest of the country but in Queensland, National Parks management appear to be banning campfires in more and more parks.

The days of the campfire chat are under threat. :(

Dave G

You are quite correct Dave and it is not just Queensland. I would suggest there are some obvious reasons why including:


People not putting out their campfires when leaving a campsite and this represents a significant fire risk. We have all seen this.
The disappearance of readily available fire wood at many campsites as a consequence of too many campers and fires that are huge. This results in people chopping down green timber and burning of other 'timber' such as park signs. Most of us will have seen this.
People lighting fires in inappropriate places such as above the snowline, and in desert areas, where what little timber is available may have taken many tens if not hundreds of years to accumulate. Many of us will have seen this.
People lighting fires at inappropriate times such as during days of significant risk with high temperatures and strong winds. We have all heard of this.
The action of park agencies is not about stopping people from having 'campfire' chats', it is about their responsibility to manage risks and assets. Indeed some park agencies in some locations provide free firewood so that people can have their campfires (eg Mimosa Rocks NP, NSW). This is simply wise management at certain locations. At other parks, you can buy bags of firewood (eg Mt Remarkable NP, SA). Sometimes park agencies simply prohibit the collection of firewood from within certain parks but allow you to take in your own wood gathered from wherever.

Sadly the responsible people, like I suspect most on this forum, bare the consequences of the behaviour of the irresponsible yobbos.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[davidgate]

You are quite correct Dave and it is not just Queensland. I would suggest there are some obvious reasons why including:


People not putting out their campfires when leaving a campsite and this represents a significant fire risk. We have all seen this.
The disappearance of readily available fire wood at many campsites as a consequence of too many campers and fires that are huge. This results in people chapping down green timber and burning of other 'timber' such as park signs. Most of us will have all seen this.
People lighting fires in inappropriate places such as above the snowline, and in desert areas, where what little timber is available may have taken many tens if not hundreds of years to accumulate. Many of us will have seen this.
People lighting fires at inappropriate times such as during days of significant risk with high temperatures and strong winds. We have all heard of this.
The action of park agencies is not about stopping people from having 'campfire' chats', it is about their responsibility to manage risks and assets. Indeed some park agencies in some locations provide free firewood so that people can have their campfires (eg Mimosa Rocks NP, NSW). This is simply wise management at certain locations. At other parks, you can buy bags of firewood (eg Mt Remarkable NP, SA). Sometimes park agencies simply prohibit the collection of firewood from within certain parks but allow you to take in your own wood gathered from wherever.

Sadly the responsible people, like I suspect most on this forum, bare the consequences of the behaviour of the irresponsible yobbos.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

I understand the reasons - I have seen some terrible things. We recently camped at Moreton Island and carried all of our wood in. Ironically, the tree we camped under was butchered with large limbs scattered around.

Its sad that as you say we have to suffer from the irresponsible few.

Dave G :)

[ramblingboy42]

national parks arent the place to have campfires. but there are plenty of 4wd parks you can go to and have a bonfire......and you cant tell the difference as to whether youre in a national park or private property

[rockyroad]

Audi driving city dwelling beauracrats who have never seen the bush dont help the cause either.

[33chinacars]

Just as a side line. I've even had B+#^*%Ds remove my fence posts from an out paddock for their fires . Took awhile to work out why cattle where getting out. Every other post removed.

Also see total idiots light camp fires on days of Total Fire Ban in the bush. Luckily spotted before too much damage done. Just lost all their camping equipment.

Gary

[TerryO]

Saw this last weekend when we drove through two camp areas about 100 ks away from each other. The first one had multiple fires left burning while the people who used them had left and gone home, this was in a heavilly wooded area. The second was in a State Park camping area where branches had been chopped off of trees and had been burned in the fires, doesn't take long when this is done for there to be no trees left in the camp ground.

These are incredibly ignorant and stupid people who can and eventually will ruin it for the majority who act responsibly.

cheers,
Terry

[Bushie]

Audi driving city dwelling beauracrats who have never seen the bush dont help the cause either.

Unfortunately my experience has been that the biggest offenders are those that drive 'proper' 4WDs - Toyota/Nissan/Land Rover - doesn't make a whole lot of difference there's equal dickheads amongst them all.


Martyn

[VladTepes]

Sadly it is getting harder and harder to enjoy nature as did our ancestors.
Good thing they can't ban it here :D

Shhh. Sen Conroy may be looking

[Xtreme]

You are quite correct Dave and it is not just Queensland. I would suggest there are some obvious reasons why including:


People not putting out their campfires when leaving a campsite and this represents a significant fire risk. We have all seen this.
The disappearance of readily available fire wood at many campsites as a consequence of too many campers and fires that are huge. This results in people chopping down green timber and burning of other 'timber' such as park signs. Most of us will have seen this.
People lighting fires in inappropriate places such as above the snowline, and in desert areas, where what little timber is available may have taken many tens if not hundreds of years to accumulate. Many of us will have seen this.
People lighting fires at inappropriate times such as during days of significant risk with high temperatures and strong winds. We have all heard of this.
The action of park agencies is not about stopping people from having 'campfire' chats', it is about their responsibility to manage risks and assets. Indeed some park agencies in some locations provide free firewood so that people can have their campfires (eg Mimosa Rocks NP, NSW). This is simply wise management at certain locations. At other parks, you can buy bags of firewood (eg Mt Remarkable NP, SA). Sometimes park agencies simply prohibit the collection of firewood from within certain parks but allow you to take in your own wood gathered from wherever.

Sadly the responsible people, like I suspect most on this forum, bare the consequences of the behaviour of the irresponsible yobbos.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

I recently heard that even the carting in of your own firewood is being banned in some parks (eg. Witjira NP) as the rangers are unable to determine where you collected it from. :confused:

I wonder if all these bans apply to the 'traditional' land users?

[KarlB]

I recently heard that even the carting in of your own firewood is being banned in some parks (eg. Witjira NP) as the rangers are unable to determine where you collected it from. :confused:

In SA parks (including Witjira), all wood fires and solid fuel fires are prohibited during the official Fire Danger Season which runs from 1 November to 31 March. During this time gas fires are permitted except on days of Total Fire Ban. You may like to check out SA Parks Witjira National Park page at Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Witjira National Park (http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_park/Browse_by_region/Flinders_Ranges_Outback/Witjira_National_Park) It makes no mention of a more general ban on fires outside of the Danger Season and the SA Camping in SA National Parks brochure specifically indicates that campfires are permitted in Witjira (see http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/6bd9f251-bb70-44a2-8471-9e4b009b127b/Camping-brochure.pdf (http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/6bd9f251-bb70-44a2-8471-9e4b009b127b/Camping-brochure.pdf)).

However, while that is my understanding of the current situation I gather there has been a proposal floated, to ban all camp fires in Witjira, and the South Australian Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs has written to DENR on this matter (see http://www.anfwdc.asn.au/images/news_pdf.php?id=62 (http://www.anfwdc.asn.au/images/news_pdf.php?id=62)). I am not aware of the scope of the DENR proposal that the Associations letter refers to, but I would suggest that SA Parks are clearly aware of the sensitivity of any such proposal and this is why they have sought the views of the Association.

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

unfortunately it's becoming to if you want to "Camp" then you have to do it in a caravan park:mad:
Found this in NZ weren't allowed to camp anywhere with a motor home, forget the glossy pics in brochures showing a motor home in the wilderness. Signs every where, keeps the van park operators in jobs.

Another thing to tell the future grand kids, reliving memories of how we used to camp out in the open:(