If
a Council ranger does come along and you are obviously camping
then they will ask you to move on.
Council
Rangers have a job to do for a very good reason - there are campers,
less responsible than you, who want to do more than just camp for a
sleep.
Many
places where you might camp don't have rubbish bins anymore, because
people are expected to take their rubbish with them.
It's all about making sure the beautiful places stay beautiful, and
not abused by the brainless who unfortunately live among all of us the
world over.
We know that you agree and understand :) .. so welcome
The
places in Tuross that you might like to look at are :
1.
Lavender Bay
This
location is sheltered under a hill and by the lake with a low traffic
laneway running along the shore.
Above
is a new modern toilet and just 100m is free electric bbqs.
This
is a very quiet location however locals do use it to walk through of
a morning and to sometimes park there to fish at night .
Warning:
there are trees here with overhanging branches - branches can fall
(like
everywhere in a forest) Don't park under trees.
Caution: advised NOT to stay here if there is
strong wind
Generally
this is a good place to stay and a good area to be if there are E, NE
and NW winds blowing as it is sheltered - it is however exposed to winds
from the South.
This
site does have a "NO Camping or Overnight Stay" sign however
see below * for info that clarifies that you
might actually be able to legally sleep in your car
If you park up by the Boatramp there is an all night street light .
Local Government Act 1993
(NSW) - 632 Acting contrary to notices erected by councils
(1) A person who, in a public place within the area of a council, fails
to comply with the terms of a notice erected by the council is guilty
of an offence.
(2A) However, a notice:
(b) must not, except as provided by subsection (2B - parking of a vehicle,
for the purpose of offering the vehicle for sale), prohibit or regulate
the taking of a vehicle into, or the driving, parking or use
of any vehicle in, any public place that is a road or road related area
within the meaning of section 4 (1) of the Road Transport Act 2013
2.
One Tree Carpark
This
carpark is used a lot by locals all day and is exposed at night with
a big spotlight so it is hard to hide here however if you do so in
the NON Tourism months and NOT on a weekend it should be fine for
a night.
You
will see a little area in the corner of the carpark near the cycleway
where it is less obvious that you are there - this little spot is
also in the shadow of the spotlight - some people also chose to park
overnight on the lower carpark just next to the sea.
It
is advised NOT to park on the lower carpark if there is a storm coming
as the waves can make it very wet with salt spray.
Just
nearby by is a free BBQ
The
public toilet is about 200m away - follow the path from the carpark
behind the beach and you will find the toilet block beside another
carparking area #4 at the back of the
sand dunes. There is also another toilet near the town shops adjacent
to the petrol station.
Council is prevented by the Local Government Act 1993
(NSW) from prohibiting vehicles being used as overnight accommodation
in streets and car parks (see below)
4.
Caravan Park Beach Carpark
This
carpark is at the back of the main beach and just beside the caravan
park.
To
find it follow the road at the top of the caravan park and then you
will see it forks down to the beach car park.
There
is no view from here but it is sheltered from the winds and is very
rarely used at night.
Park
as close as you can to the caravan park rail fence so that you are
out of the way and even if someone comes by at night they might think
you are connected to the caravan park.
There
is a basic toilet here but no free electric BBQ so you might have
to cook elsewhere and then drive here to sleep.
3.
Kyla Oval
Here
you will find a carpark next to free electric bbqs. It is more open
here but for one night you should be fine. There is a toilet nearby.
The
area is a little windy if there are strong winds from the W, N or
E but if you have a look about you will find somewhere out of the
wind.
This
site does not have a "NO Camping" sign however see below for
info that clarifies that you can legally sleep in your car - whilst
it is not a public road it is a public space
In Ryan v Nominal Defendant [2005] NSWCA 59 the court dealt with the
meaning of open to or used by the public as contained in the definition
of road related area. The court referred to various cases and relied
on them to say;
“The words “open to or used by the public” are apt
to describe a factual condition consisting in any real use of the place
by the public as the public (read
more)
The
Local Tuross shop carpark
Note
that the carpark at the local shops is Privately owned
and because of this
Council can not move you on from here - the police will only act if
there is a report of trespass so just go to sleep and be as less obvious
as possible - and please respect that it is private property so leave
nothing but your footprints.
If
you choose to free camp in Tuross please: