Gold Coast Waterways Authority working with police to end illegal camping at The Spit

THE Gold Coast Waterways Authority has hired a private security company to remove revellers illegally camping at The Spit and has restricted driving on the finger at night.

Moondarewa Spit at Doug Jennings Park. Picture: David Clark.

THE Gold Coast Waterways Authority has hired a private security company to remove revellers illegally camping at The Spit and has restricted driving on the finger at night.

Gold Coast Waterways Authority boss Hal Morris says police and security are now regularly patrolling The Spit to pursue illegal campers and says the organisation will monitor the success of bollards erected in recent months to stop vehicles going off-road at the “finger” at Main Beach.

The measures go hand-in-hand with a $500,000 makeover reported in the Gold Coast Bulletin in May that has seen roads re-laid, bollards erected and more than 150 car parks allocated.

Aome of the new bollards in place at The Spit. Photo: David Clark

Mr Morris says he is under no illusion that the bollards along the finger would stamp out illegal camping and four-wheel-drive issue entirely but that the measures would go some way to addressing the problem.

“To try and address both issues we’ve vehicle traffic so you won’t be able to drive in there between 6pm and 6am,” he said.

“I understand if you say you can’t go on to the finger people will just move to the main park ... but it will be increasingly difficult to do the wrong thing.

“We’ve got an agreement from police and we’ve employed a private security company to close the gates.”

Gold Coast City Councillor Dawn Crichlow said it was high time action was taken to move on illegal campers.

Part of the new look at The Spit. Photo: David Clark

But the long-serving local representative for Southport says just because campers are being targeted now doesn’t mean they won’t be considered in the proposed masterplan for The Spit.

“That’s what was needed. It can’t continue,” she said.

“You had illegal campers … it’s not good.

“As soon as they do this masterplan that they’re all talking about for The Spit, the better it will be for everybody.

“The masterplan might say that they might turn a specific area into a camp ground. Our parks are nearly full at the moment, it’s so good.”

Mr Morris says improvements to the newly-named Moondarewa Spit were ongoing and centre around upgrades to amenities at Doug Jennings Park.

“We’ve redone the roof and the toilets underneath the kiosk,” he said. “We’ve also built a new toilet block.

“The work included upgrading the road that runs down the middle of The Spit, the finger itself.

“The bollards went in and we’ve added 150 car parks.

“There are a lot of dead casuarina trees so we’re planting new trees.”