Are we loving our beach camping destinations to death?

THOUSANDS are flocking to the likes of Noosa North Shore, Double Island Point, Inskip Point and Fraser Island to embark on camping holidays.

TOO MUCH: Crowds at Teewah are leaving behind more than tyre tracks.. Picture: John McCutcheon

OPINION: It's a fine line between loving something and loving it to death.

It's the battle we're facing as we speak, as thousands flock to the likes of Noosa North Shore, Double Island Point, Inskip Point and Fraser Island to embark on camping holidays.

Tourism industry insiders are saying a desire to disconnect from the ever-increasing digital world and get back to old-fashioned family values is driving part of the camping resurgence.

For those looking to switch off for a week or two, their noble motives should be applauded.

But we also need to remember how precious and precarious some of these popular beach camping sites are.

Perhaps we need to change our behaviours a bit.

Is there a need to head up the beach every holiday?

Why not share it around, head to the hinterland camp spots some years and then the beach others.

It's simplistic, but if even a quarter of us could do that it might just ease some pressure on the beaches, while also spreading around the economic benefit of tourism to other regions.

The solution is not easy.

Capping visitor numbers on the beaches won't be a solution accepted easily by many.

But as the Surfrider Foundation teams continue to pick up tonnes and tonnes of waste off these stretches after each holiday break, we have to start asking the hard questions if future generations are going to enjoy the same beach getaways we have.

Originally published as Are we loving our beach camping destinations to death?