Bad-mannered caravanners prompt closure of Burekup RV stopover site

A lack of supervision resources and alleged non-compliance by visitors has led to the closure of a recreational vehicle stopover site in Burekup. Dardanup Shire councillors decided on Wednesday to immediately close the 72-hour stopover site on Gardiner Reserve next door to River Valley Primary School and behind the town’s general store. Although the council had received a petition with almost 150 signatures calling for the site to remain open, the motion to close the site was carried 5-4. The site, which had been designated in 2015 and eventually established in late 2020, allowed up to five recreational vehicles to park at the site at any one time for no longer than 72 hours. Visitors were advised to register their presence at the town’s general store. However, about 160 complaints were received by the Shire over the past year. Shire president Mick Bennett told the Bunbury Herald most of the complaints were that caravanners would “act like they owned the place” and not follow site conditions. “Most complaints were that caravanners would please themselves where they would park; some were not registering because of late arrival and not adhering to the signage conditions,” he said. “We also had too many people park at the site at times. “Once last Easter we had 14 caravans parked there, which meant campers were interrupting community use of the area.” Cr Bennett said the heightened tourism season was a possible main cause of problems surrounding the Burekup site, despite the 24-hour site in Dardanup at the town’s hall not experiencing the same issues. During the council meeting, Cr Bennett said he was initially a major supporter of the stopover site but was disappointed to see it hadn’t worked out as intended. “I was prepared to see how this would work out for everyone but the people using the site at times were in tents or campervans that did not have toilet or shower facilities when being self-sufficient was a major part of granting permission,” he said. It was also reported to council in December 2020 that monitoring of the site would be limited and rangers would not be able to hold daily routine inspections due to resourcing limitations, with rangers patrolling the site 55 times while it was open. Shire of Dardanup development services manager Murray Connell said in a report to the council it had become evident the current level of service the Shire could provide was “not meeting expectations” of some of the community that called for either daily monitoring or for the site to be closed. “The original intent for the RV site was for a stopover, however it is now apparent that the utilisation of the site for 72 hours is more akin to a caravan park facility,” his report read. Councillors also voted for the Shire to consult the Burekup community on a location for a 24-hour recreational vehicle stopover site within the locality, with a report set to be brought to council in June.