Bruny Island Community Association says improved infrastructure needed to accommodate tourism surge
As Bruny Island residents brace for a surge of visitors over the Easter period, the local community association has called for more camping facilities.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Bruny Island residents say visitors are being forced to camp illegally due to the lack of a booking system and tourists have little choice but to incorrectly dispose of their rubbish because there is only one dumping point on the island.
As the Easter tourism boom begins, campsite bookings are piling up and Hobart Airport has put on an additional 8-10 flights per day, with about 9000 extra travellers expected to pass through the terminal each day up to next Thursday.
Many of these people are likely to visit Bruny Island, with the operator of the island’s ferry service, SeaLink, saying it’s anticipating “high demand” over Easter.
The local community association has warned that improved infrastructure is desperately needed to accommodate the hordes of tourists flocking there.
Bruny Island Community Association secretary Tammy Price said she and other locals had been lobbying for visitor infrastructure upgrades for some time and particular areas of need were improved toilet, rubbish, and camping facilities.
“There’s only one licensed caravan park on the island. And we find a lot of people actually free camp in areas, which presents issues. So that’s one thing we will be following up with the new government,” she said.
“We’ve only got one dump site on the island, which is in South Bruny. And there’s a private caravan park in North Bruny that would like to extend and has actually offered a dump site but bureaucracy [has prevented it].”
Ms Price said unlike some other public campsites managed by the Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS), those on Bruny did not require bookings, operating instead on a ‘first in, best served’ basis.
“We’ve actually spoken to a few campers that … have just come to the island expecting to get a spot. And then once the last ferry goes, they can’t return home and they have to illegally camp. So it’s not like you can ask them to move on,” she said.
“We really do need to actually knuckle down and start looking at really pushing for [upgraded] infrastructure or booking systems or whatever it may be to actually lessen the load on Bruny.
“That’s not to say we don’t want visitors. We just really need more infrastructure.”
PWS manages campsites at the Neck, Cloudy Corner, Jetty Beach, and the Pines. It costs $15 per night for a family of two adults and three children to camp at these sites, except the Pines, which is free.
A Natural Resources and Environment Department spokeswoman said PWS campsites at Richardsons Beach and Honeymoon Bay in the Freycinet National Park were fully booked over Easter, but there could be late cancellations.
Hobart Airport CEO Norris Carter said Easter was the second busiest time of the year for the airport, with the busiest being Christmas, when almost 10,000 additional people came through the terminal each day.
“We’ll have extra staff and volunteers on hand to assist travellers moving through the airport and make the whole experience as stress-free as possible,” he said.
Bushfire in Triabunna expected to impact town in 2-4 hours
While weary firefighters continue battling blazes on the West Coast, a new bushfire has broken out in southeast Tasmania. For rolling coverage.
Car rental firm’s new multimillion-dollar Hobart headquarters
A national car rental firm has revealed demand for rentals in Tasmania peaks at Christmas and Easter. Now, the firm is expanding business in Tasmania. Read why.