Riverside camping laws: Pitch a tent in Victoria for up to 28 nights

The Andrews Government, which is opening up vast lengths of Victoria’s waterways to camping, has just released draft regulations on how the changes will be managed.

New regulations will allow the public to pitch tents and start campfires on up to 17,000km of Victoria’s rivers and creeks.

THE public will be allowed to camp within 20m of Victorian waterways for up to 28 nights, under draft regulations released today.

The public will be able to pitch tents and start campfires along about 17,000km of the state’s waterways, much of which is under 8287 crown land grazing licences held by adjoining landholders — although they must stay at least 100m from any nearby homes and no more than 200m from the river.

The regulations deliver on the Andrews Government’s 2018 election promise to open up crown land river frontages to campers, despite opposition from thousands of farmers and other landholders concerned at the impact on livestock, vegetation and the risk posed by camp fires.

Campers will have to ensure their camp sites are set back at least 20m from waterways, not use soap or detergent with that zone and bury their faeces at least 50m away.

The draft regulations, which are out for public consultation for six weeks, also impose restrictions in the following areas:

RUBBISH AND FIREWOOD COLLECTION

REQUIRE a person using regulated land (a water frontage) for recreation to remove their waste and personal property before vacating that land.

PROHIBIT the cutting, felling, picking, uprooting, taking, damaging or destroying any vegetation, whether alive or dead, on regulated land unless collecting firewood in accordance with proposed regulation 23, which allows up to 0.5 cubic metres a day to be collected.

PROHIBIT campfires in areas containing riparian management works (including areas being revegetated) and areas being cultivated.

INTERFERENCE WITH LIVESTOCK AND STRUCTURES AND MAINTAINING GOOD ORDER

PROHIBIT interfering with any livestock on regulated land, including preventing livestock from accessing the watercourse.

PROHIBIT the recreational use of regulated land which is being cultivated, except with the permission of the land manager.

DOGS to be on a lead unless it is a gundog crossing the land for the purposes of hunting or involved in hunting on regulated land.

PROHIBIT a person from behaving in a manner which is likely to be a nuisance or to cause danger or injury to any person.

PROHIBIT interfering with any building or other structure or works on regulated land.

IT IS an offence to not immediately close a gate on the regulated land which a person has opened.

PROHIBIT the erection of a barrier on regulated land which prevents access to that land (Does not state what form that access should take, by foot or vehicle).

PROHIBIT the erection or display of a sign on regulated land.

PROHIBIT camping in areas containing riparian management works (including areas being revegetated).

PROHIBITS bringing vegetation (other than firewood or wooden objects) onto regulated land or the planting of vegetation on regulated land.

PROHIBITS digging and removing soil, sand or gravel nor cutting of rock from regulated land (other than digging to dispose of human faeces or acting in accordance with a miner’s right or tourist fossicking authority where prospecting is permitted) and the bringing any such matter onto regulated water frontages.

DELWP and Parks Victoria will also be able to designate areas where camping is only permitted with a permit to manage high visitation sites, where some form of limit on the numbers of campers might be appropriate.

Camping will remain prohibited on licensed Crown land frontages to lakes, lagoons, marshes and swamps.

DELWP will also be able to temporarily close water frontages to camping in an emergency or restrict access, while restoration or revegetation work is being conducted.

A full copy of the draft regulations and the link to make submissions can be found at https://engage.vic.gov.au/regulated-watercourse-land-regulations

The final regulations will come into effect on September 1.