Story and photos: Dennis Amor

ILLEGAL overnight campers are still being chased out of a once popular free beachside holiday area in Queensland where overnight stays were banned last year.

No welcome at Norval Park beach

Up to a dozen caravanners and motorhomers weekly still ignore no-camping signs at Norval Park north of Bundaberg, risking $1500 fines. Rangers make regular visits to order them out, but there are no reports of anyone being fined.

The reserve, which offered idyllic camping among the dunes, was closed by the former Burnett Shire Council just weeks before the last Christmas holiday season, resulting in a flood of protests from families claiming their festive holidays had been ruined by "heartless" bureaucrats.

Some families had been using the picturesque reserve for generations and turned up at Norval Park completely unaware camping had been banned. They were forced to return home after failing to find spaces in already packed local caravan parks.

The unrepentant council defended its decision by saying there had been numerous complaints of hooliganism, vandalism to the sensitive dune areas and people setting up semi-permanent camping sites.

But the new Bundaberg Regional Council, which now controls the area, is developing a management plan which could see a small area of Norval Park reopened to bush camping on a restricted basis.

Rocks and fencing bar access to camp sites among the dunes at Norval Park

"As yet, we do not have a firm date for its reopening," Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch told Caravanning News. "Due to the limited space and lack of infrastructure in the reserve, it is unlikely the area will ever be reopened to unrestricted use by caravans and motorhomes," she said.

Councillor Pyefinch pointed out that her council operated several caravan parks in the region suitable for travellers, including Miara Caravan Park just south of Norval Park.

Meanwhile, extensive fencing has been erected at the reserve, effectively cutting off all access to the dunes and 4WD tracks.

The shire council recently rejected moves by Councillor Alan Bush to prepare costings for removing the barricade of huge rocks installed during the Christmas holidays which prevented access to the dunes. Recent erosion at the end of the only 4WD track makes beach access extremely difficult.

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