Eyre Peninsula’s camping beaches will be under strict limitations this upcoming summer after an overwhelming number of visitors to the camping sites following the pandemic lockdowns.
The Perlubie Beach and Tractor Beach campsites’ booking system will go online from Friday, showing the new restrictions on the camping capacity in the areas.
The Streaky Bay Council introduced the restrictions at Perlubie Beach after a meeting last November. The number of vans that can camp on the beach is capped at only 20 a night.
Ten more sites have been placed at Perlubie Beach during peak periods for locals only, and campers are only allowed on the site for five nights maximum. Campers going in with vans will have to pay AU$20 a night.
Streaky Bay District Council Mayor Travis Barber said the people found the region during the pandemic when they were prompted to travel closer to home.
One of our most popular beaches that would normally have 10-15 vans on it at an Easter or Christmas blew out to 160 vans,” Barber said. “Averaging this week, we’ve probably got 40-50 vans that have been [at Perlubie Beach].
“There’s never been a limit before because we’ve never needed one … it’s too popular [now].”
The management committee of the beach was created in recent months, composed of locals and elected members of the council, who relayed the new restrictions. A local survey also aided the formation of the new rules.
Tractor Beach, on the other hand, had slightly different rules, allowing only 15 camper cans with a fee of AU$15 per night.
Barber said some campers cut fences and emptied camper toilets behind the beach’s sand dunes during the peak periods.
“They’d pull the little sachets out of the back of their van after a few days, and instead of taking it to town to the dump point, they’d walk over the back and empty it into the dunes,” he said. “We had to do something.”
The new rules included restricting black or grey water being discharged on the beach dune and that all campers must bring a suitable toilet and black water facility.
“We just need to cap the numbers; otherwise, it will get ruined, and it won’t be the beach that we all know it is,” Barber said.
It’s awesome to see efforts to keep Eyre Peninsula beaches pristine with new visitor restrictions. Let’s all play our part by checking out the rules and booking systems. Together, we can enjoy the beaches sustainably and maintain their beauty for everyone to enjoy!