Yarra River camping allowed under draft rules

The Andrews Government proposes to allow public camping on water frontages from September — including along the Yarra.

Yarra River licensed crown land water frontage at Warrandyte. Water frontage licence is grey-blue; riparian management licence, dark blue.

THE public will be able to defecate within 50 metres of the Yarra River from September, set up a tent within 20 metres and build a fire, under draft regulations released by Fishing Minister Melissa Horne.

The Victorian Government’s own Mapshare system shows that in allowing camping along 17,000km of regional crown land water frontages in farmers’ backyards, it could do the same along the Yarra River, from Warrandyte to its upper tributaries.

Minister Horne, whose Williamstown electorate covers the lower reaches of the Yarra River, refused to answer a question on whether she would put as much effort into opening up Melbourne’s main waterway to camping as she had into the rest of the state’s rivers and creeks.

She simply stated “camping and fishing are very popular and this is all about providing the public better access to public land.

“We continue to encourage families and friends to spend time together in the outdoors.”

Victorian farmers from the Mitta Valley to the far South West say the Government does not have the resources to regulate campers, who they fear will strip riversides of vegetation to make fires, defecate in their paddocks and get bowled over by livestock.

Even Yarra Riverkeeper Andrew Kelly said that while he supported camping “in principle” it would not work in practice, as he had no faith in the Victorian Government policing regulations to control campers.

“Is the government providing enough resources to enforce this,” Mr Kelly said. “I can’t see that”.

“It’s hard to work out what’s going to happen, with the public estate already under huge pressure. (But) we really don’t want people pooping near our waterways.”

The draft regulations open up about 56,000ha along the state’s waterways to free public camping, despite it being managed by adjoining farmers and other landholders under 8287 crown-land water frontage licences.

The draft regulations require campers to bury their faeces at least 50m from a waterway, lets them camp for up to 28 nights in one spot and collect up to half a cubic metre of firewood per person each day to fuel their camp fires.

Opening up the state’s waterways to public camping was a promise made by Premier Daniel Andrews in the leadup to the 2018 state election.

Yarra River licensed crown land water frontage at Warrandyte. Water frontage licence is grey-blue; riparian management licence, dark blue.

Upper Yarra River licensed crown land water frontage. Water frontage licence is grey-blue; riparian management licence, dark blue.