West Coast tourist waste anger locals amid travel surge

Pictures of human excrement and toilet paper in dunes, and overflowing bins and beaches have locals wondering if the tourist surge is too much.

An influx of campers at Greenly Beach near Port Lincoln. Picture: Murray Kelsh

A huge influx of interstate campers on the state’s West Coast is putting unprecedented pressure on the region’s fragile coastline, according to disgruntled locals.

Images of human excrement and discarded toilet paper in sand dunes, overflowing bins and dozens of four-wheel-drives and caravans camped at normally quiet locations have angered some residents, who say that there are simply not enough facilities to cope with the coast’s rising popularity.

Port Lincoln builder Murray Kelsh said he counted 117 vehicles in the Coles Point-Greenly Beach region on Friday.

In recent years, the area – northwest of Port Lincoln – has become “Insta-famous” for its picturesque rock pools. The pools and surrounding coastline have also featured heavily in State Government tourism campaigns.

“Of those 117 cars, we counted 42 camper trailers and caravans, all living off-grid,” Mr Kelsh said.

Bins at Greenly Beach near Port Lincoln. Picture: Murray Kelsh

“I asked them if they had chemical toilets and where they were going to the toilet, and they said they were going in the sand dunes.”

Mr Kelsh said it was irresponsible to promote the area without giving thought to whether the region could cope with an increase in visitors.

“The biggest issue is that the State Government has spent all this money on advertising the place without putting any facilities in place,” he said.

“And the councils can barely maintain the roads, let alone go and empty the bins.”

Mr Kelsh said while he was taking a picture of an overflowing bin at Coles Point, a tourist drove up and placed a nappy bag on top of the growing pile of rubbish.

It’s a similar situation up the coast, according to Ceduna farmer and surfer Michael Nicholls. He took pictures of dozens of pieces of used toilet paper in the dunes near the popular St Mary’s Beach.

“Locals have been using these beaches for 100 years and you’d hardly know, but in six months they’re basically stuffed,” he said.

“They’ve also promoted the hell out of the Pink Lake at Point Sinclair and you can barely drive along that road now without half a dozen cars parked and trying to take a picture. That’s a main road with a 100km/h speed limit.”

Mr Nicholls said he understood why interstate visitors would be enamoured with the region’s pristine beaches.

“But if they’re going to treat them like they own (them) and not take care of them then it ruins it for everyone,” he said.

A government spokesman said a significant amount of money had been invested in marketing domestic tourism, which was “critical for the state’s visitor economy, local businesses and jobs as we recover from the devastating impact of bushfires and COVID-19”.

“While the overwhelming majority of tourists do the right thing in exploring all our wonderful state has to offer, it’s disappointing if a small number are found to be disrespecting the local environment,” the spokesman said.