Council delays decision on future of Burekup RV overnight rest stop as community calls for its removal

The fate of a contentious caravan overnight rest stop in a quiet South West town hangs in the balance after a decision on its future was deferred until February. A park in the small town of Burekup, which has a population of about 800 people in the Shire of Dardanup, was set up as a free overnight rest area for self-contained caravanners in February in a bid to boost tourism and expenditure in the area. The rest area located at Gardiner Reserve — which is next to the town hall and close to residential homes — allows for five fully self-contained vehicles to stay for up to 72 hours with a valid permit that can be collected from the Burekup General Store. Shire documents state 165 vehicles have booked the RV sites since they were installed, but anecdotally the number is believed to be much higher. A main community concern is the limited monitoring of the site, which is attended only occasionally to check on its use, according to the Shire. The council this month considered revoking its approval of the rest site due to poor community feedback, but instead voted 8-1 to defer a decision to its February meeting. The officer’s recommendation was for the council to shut down the campground, as hiring an additional employee plus an extra vehicle to regularly patrol the site would cost the Shire more than $75,000 a year and the ranger undertaking regular weekend and public holiday patrols would cost about $42,000 per year. It comes as the City of Bunbury in May voted to keep two beachside parking areas as permanent overnight rest stops for self-contained travellers after a two-year trial found almost 3000 visitors stayed and spent $360,000. The City also found 90 per cent of residents surveyed believed the addition of overnight rest areas was beneficial to Bunbury. However, this sentiment was not echoed in Burekup, with written submissions to the Shire citing campground misuse and noise among concerns surrounding the site. “We had random campers taking advantage of the site and up to 14 at one time, some of whom were only in a four-wheel-drive or van, and were certainly not self-contained,” one nearby resident wrote. “I have felt like I am on Goggle Box TV for strangers who sit across the road in their camping chairs watching us as we go for morning walks, leave home for the day and have family barbecues for dinner.” Another resident, whose home directly faces the site, said she had no issues with the rest stop and supported its continuation. “I am saddened to hear there has been continued community negativity towards the site as those visitors we have spoken to have all stayed local and been spending money with local businesses, which I can only see as a positive,” she said.