After he’s got the fire at his campsite roaring, Andre Laudams likes to sit down and look up. “Getting to see the stars at night is one of the best things about camping,” the Sydneysider says. In the city, he is used to them being hidden behind a veil of light pollution.
“I don’t think we should pay to get that peace and solitude.”
The 54-year-old is one of many campers troubled by a proposed change to the pricing structure for sites in New South Wales national parks.
The government wants to tackle “ghost bookings”, whereby people book limited sites in case they want to go camping, but then don’t turn up. However, campers are worried the reforms could change the “classless” nature of the great outdoors.
Michael Atkinson, who appeared on Alone Australia, said on social media last week: “We should be encouraging people to get outdoors not making it a middle-class and above activity.”
The planned changes won’t see prices increase everywhere – some sites could even become cheaper. But the question is being asked: has the government got the balance right?
Price changes ‘will definitely vary’
The NSW government says the current pricing structure is “inconsistent and complex” and should be simplified.
It aims to address three issues raised in consultations with 200,000 national park visitors: “ghost bookings”; a lack of staff at campgrounds; and the need for better maintenance of facilities.
Currently, campsites have a flat fee for the site itself and then additional costs per adult and child. The proposed change would institute flat rates for low and high seasons, based on the services offered at the particular site. Prices would be pegged to CPI and people would receive a refund of up to 80% if they cancelled.
The government says it hasn’t increased the cost of camping since 2017.
Grahame Douglas, a member of the National Parks Association of NSW, agrees reform of the “complex” pricing structure is necessary, but he’s not convinced by Labor’s proposal.
“I’m not persuaded the number of tiers is correct – there are some grey areas,” he says, arguing it’s confusing what tier some campsites fall into. “There has been misguided criticism because of this confusion.”
Douglas says it’s not clear whether the change will make camping more expensive overall. “It will definitely vary,” he says.
For example, the Saltwater Creek campground – a beach-lovers’ haven on the far south coast –…
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