Push for Bruny Island visit fee

BRUNY  Island residents are concerned their patch of paradise is being loved to death and want visitors to pay a fee.

Mrs Fran Davis of Alonnah - 0438284587 is pictured at the Bruny Island Transfer Station where the service is bucking under pressure from tourism. PIC: MATT THOMPSON

BRUNY  Island residents are concerned their patch of paradise is being loved to death.

An explosion in visitor numbers over summer has seen a rise in vehicle accidents and increased dumping of waste, including human faeces.

A community group now says enough is enough and wants visitors to pay a levy to cover the costs of increased use of infrastructure for the additional visitors, namely road improvements, toilet upgrades and rubbish disposal.

Kingborough Mayor Steve Wass told the Mercury the council first supported a levy five years ago and that support remained.

“We’re very aware of the infrastructure that’s needed,” he said.

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Bruny Island Community Association president Jenny Boyer said islanders were concerned by the high number of accidents on the gravel roads.

She said that since the beginning of the year, the local tow truck driver had taken 28 undrivable cars off the island.

And garbage was a hot topic at a recent monthly meeting.

“There’s a lot of rubbish being left, including human waste, at camp grounds and other spots,” Ms Boyer said.

“There’s a lot of people who throw out their cans and bottles out the car window and the roadsides are littered.”

Concerned resident Fran Davis said as well as litter, fish and excrement were also being discarded and could be a public health hazard.

“There are no big skip bins and our tip site is not open that often,” she said.

According to the annual Tasmanian Visitor Survey there has been a 24 per cent increase in interstate and overseas visitors in the 12 months from September 2014 to September last year.

“This year things have just exploded even more,” Ms Boyer said. “The facilities are just inadequate for the number of people on the island.”

The association has now written to Premier Will Hodgman suggesting it would be timely to revisit the idea of a levy.

However, Premier Will Hodgman said a levy would not be considered.

“We’ve already introduced an expanded second ferry service; we are in the process of a $3.7 million upgrade of the main road; and design work has just begun for sealing the full length of the road at the Neck,” he said.

“We will continue to work cooperatively to ensure this growth is sustainable, but we have no plans to introduce a levy on visitors or residents.”