Riverside camping site selection: Farmers want say

The public will have access to 27 campsites along the banks of northern Victorian rivers – owned by farmers and landholders.

Four free camp sites are being assessed on the Ovens River, but farmers who hold grazing licences over the areas want a say in their selection.

The Victorian Government will begin rolling out 27 campsites along the banks of northern Victorian rivers in the next few months, after backing down on its original plans to allow the public to freely pitch a tent on up to 17,000kms of waterways.

“Selected sites for camping will be assessed and determined to be suitable from a range of perspectives, including the potential impacts on Traditional Owner heritage values, environmental values, and adjoining farming interests,” the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning reported last week.

“Camping areas will be released in stages, following public land values assessments by DELWP and cultural heritage assessments by Traditional Owners.”

Thirteen sites are currently being assessed along the banks of the Goulburn River, six on the Ovens, four on the Campaspe, and two each on the Loddon and Broken Rivers.

The sites, like most of the crown land along waterways, are held by neighbouring farmers and other landholders under grazing and riparian management licences, of which there are 8287 along the state’s rivers.

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The Victorian Farmers Federation reported that while farmers with licences affected by the 27 pilot sites had been notified an assessment was taking place, they were not yet been consulted on the assessment.

A Government spokeswoman told The Weekly Times the assessment process had been delayed due to Covid restrictions limiting staff’s movements. But it’s not clear whether assessments involve direct consultation with neighbouring farmers holding licences over the sites.

“Currently licence holders are only being notified that an assessment is taking place on their licensed frontage,” VFF president Emma Germano said.

“This needs to change. How can the impacts be assessed without speaking to the impacted farmer?”

“No one knows the land better than farmers who have live and work on it every day. It’s a no-brainer to involve farmers in this process.”

The Government is also exploring the feasibility of introducing a registration system for anyone using a designated camping site.

Farmers, Landcare, environmental and Indigenous groups had raised concerns at the damage campers could cause, if the Government had gone ahead with its original plan to allow campers free access to the state’s riverbanks.

But in the end the government has announced camping on licensed river frontages would be limited to designated sites for a maximum of 14 nights, with restrictions on camp fires, bans on dogs, vehicles and the collection of firewood.

It has also warned access to sites via private property is trespass, and not permitted without the permission of the landowner.