Former Greens candidate petitions for vehicle ban on Livingstone Shire beaches

The man behind a petition for a Central Qld council to ban vehicles from the majority of beaches has described 4WDs as “incompatible” with urban beaches. Tell us what you think in our poll

A petition, created by former Federal Greens candidate Paul Bambrick, has been sent to Livingstone Shire Council which seeks to ban any recreational vehicle from travelling on most Livingstone beaches.

A petition has been received by Livingstone Shire Council to request the banning of private motorised recreational vehicles from the vast majority of Livingstone Shire beaches.

The petition was created by former Greens candidate Paul Bambrick at the Tuesday, June 17 meeting.

Mr Bambrick wrote in the petition document that “in the interests of pedestrian safety and enjoyment and the natural peace and amenity, we request the banning of private motorised recreational vehicles from all LSC beaches except Farnborough Beach north of the Bangalee access.”

Driving on any Livingstone beach, other than Farnborough Beach north of Hinz Avenue, is prohibited, though some designated beaches do permit vehicle access strictly for the purpose of launching and retrieving a boat.

Paul Bambrick, who ran as a Greens candidate in the 2025 Federal Election, said the vast majority of Livingstone Shire beaches were not places that motorised vehicles should use as recreational spots. Picture: Supplied

Mr Bambrick told this publication the reason behind the petition was two-fold, firstly because in his view current local laws were not being enforced and secondly to ward off any future moves to open up other Livingstone Shire beaches to recreational motorised vehicles.

“I guess it’s a cultural issue,” he said.

“Do we want to be known as a place that has got beautiful beaches that we look after, and we’ve got some of the prettiest beaches in Australia... or do we want to be known as the place where you can just come drive on beaches and people think that’s alright.”

Mr Bambrick said urban beaches, which he described as family beaches, were not the place for recreational vehicles to be travelling up and down.

“I can’t see any reason why you would put a 4WD vehicle on an urban beach where people swim,” he said.

Mr Bambrick stressed that his petition wasn’t meant to cover vehicles which were towing boats to the waterline before driving off the beach once the craft was in the water.

“I’m talking about somebody going for a drive on a beach because they want to drive on a beach,” he said.

“If you want to go launch your boat that’s fair enough.”

Mr Bambrick said it wasn’t uncommon to see vehicles on Livingstone Shire beaches driving around and that his petition wasn’t just solely limited to 4WDs but also other motor vehicles including motorbikes and quad bikes.

“I hear vehicles on Kinka Beach regularly,” he said.

“There has been vehicles on the beach that I live in (Keppel Sands) as well.

“Last weekend, couple of weekends ago, someone turned up on a motorbike and they just started her up… and went for a hoon on the beach.”

The petition to ban recreational vehicles from most of Livingstone Shire beaches does not include Farnborough Beach north of the Bangalee access, which like the beach on K'gari (Fraser Island), is designated for vehicle use. Picture: TEQ

Mr Bambrick said his petition wasn’t just about ensuring public safety and the tranquillity of the area but also to help preserve the natural environment and noted the area of Farnborough Beach north of the Bangalee access has been devastated by the impacts that vehicles have had on the land.

“It’s been traversed for a very long time and you can see the damage there,” he said.

“There’s destruction everywhere.”

Mr Bambrick also said he has heard there had been talks to open up several urban beaches in Yeppoon to traffic but he said he couldn’t confirm it.

His petition has received more than 100 signatures and the Livingstone Shire local said there is a lot of public concern regarding vehicles traversing the local beaches.

“Urban beaches should be safe places for everybody to go… you don’t want a massive 4WD turning up making a heap of noise,” he said.

“It’s just incompatible.”