Yarra River protected but its open slather for camping on regional rivers
The Yarra River is being protected while the rest of the state’s waterways are opened up for campers to pitch a tent for 28 days, defecate in the bush, collect firewood to build fires.
The Andrews Government is locking down developments along the Yarra River, while opening up 17,000km of regional rivers to campers, risking damage to native vegetation and bushfires.
Victorian Planning and Acting Water Minister Richard Wynne this week banned developments within 30 metres of the Yarra River, in what he called a bid to “protect the natural landscape and environment of our beautiful river” which “has an important place in the hearts of Victorians”.
Yet Fishing Minister Melissa Horne and her department are drafting regulations that allow anyone to camp along 17,000km of river frontages in regional Victoria, most of which are unfenced and already held by neighbouring farmers under 8287 crown land grazing licences.
Victorian Farmers Federation livestock group vice-president Scott Young said it was amazing the Government was “picking out the Yarra River for protection and not worrying about the rest of the state’s rivers”.
“Why is the Yarra River any different to other rivers in the state? It’s because it’s within Melbourne.”
Mr Scott said it also appeared the Government was drafting regulations that allowed campers to do what farmers could not, on licensed water frontages.
All crown land water frontage licences held by farmers state they must not “light fires” nor “remove any living or dead vegetation (except weeds) or fallen timber on the licensed land” (Clause 3.8.1.1).
Minister Horne’s office has drafted regulations that allow campers to build a camp fire and collect up to “0.5 cubic metres of firewood on regulated land in one day”, as long as it is not gathered within 20m of a waterway.
Farmers must also “take all reasonable steps to ensure the percentage of bare ground within the licensed area does not exceed 20 per cent of the total licensed area”.
Yet the Minister’s draft regulations not only make no mention of limiting camper numbers, but propose allowing them to camp for up to 28 days on one site, which would kill vegetation on these sites.
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