Traditional owners’ fury over free-spirited travellers going bare at Cape York tip

Cheeky tourists stripping into their birthday suits at this top destination is far from funny for furious locals tired of copping disrespect from visitors.

Snap-happy tourists are getting risqué at the country’s northernmost point as they pose stark naked for a cheeky photo, but traditional owners of the land are finding their behaviour far from amusing.

Bucketlist destination, the Tip of Cape York, has attracted its fair share of controversy, but the latest traveller trend has left locals reeling.

From bare backsides to mankinis, members from travel group “Tits Out at the Tip” as well as some free-spirited blokes are have braved the coastal town’s top tourist attraction in their birthday suits.

But the controversial act has disgusted community members, with some comparing it to a person standing naked in their front yard.

“We have strong beliefs and (by) disrespecting our country, something bad might happen to them by our ancestral spirits,” a Gudang Yadhaykenu Aboriginal Corporation member told The Courier Mail.

“Our people are not resting peacefully.”

Travellers not afraid to bare it all are posing nude at the country's highest point. Picture: Facebook/Brendon Tamiti

Pleas from Gudang Yadhaykenu Aboriginal Corporation members calling on tourists be respectful come after native title holders declared a lockout north of the Jardine River in March last year.

The closure, which came about due to a lack of public facilities and disrespectful behaviour, prohibited tourists from entering Pajinka, the tip of Cape York.

The lockout was reversed a short time later but a number of illegal activities including rubbish dumping, public urinating, graffiti and illegal shooting continue to occur.

Queensland Police have also slammed the behaviour and said Cape York’s remoteness isn’t an acceptable reason to engage in such activity.

“Visitors to the area should be advised that acts of this nature are considered extremely disrespectful and culturally insensitive to the Traditional Owners of the land,” Torres Strait Patrol Group Inspector Nick O’Brien said.

“Anyone who witnesses such behaviours are encouraged to report the matter to police.”

Under section nine of Queensland’s Summary Offences Act, a person charged with wilful exposure can face fines of up to $235.60.

This free-spirited bloke was seen sporting a mankini. Picture: Sourced from The Courier Mail

About 60,000 visitors make the trip to the top of the continent each year, however it’s feared that the poor choices of some may see everyone paying the consequences if another lockout was to occur.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) CEO Brett Fraser stressed that Cape York is a destination that should be high on every holidaymaker’s bucket list but urges visitors to show respect and cultural awareness.

“Queensland has some of the oldest and most culturally significant destinations in the world. All we ask is for visitors to treat these iconic sites with the admiration and reverence they deserve,” he told news.com.au.

“Our industry has been working closely with Indigenous groups to provide visitors and businesses with cultural protocols and guides.”

“Before packing their bags, we encourage holiday-makers to take the extra step and learn if their go-to-destination holds cultural significance.”

The local council for the northernmost point, the Torres Shire, has also been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Traditional owners’ fury over free-spirited travellers going bare at Cape York tip