From car surfing to illegal fires and broken gates – people are parks’ biggest pests

Suellen Hinde - Queensland Editor | March 7, 2022

Hoons and rule breakers are ruining the environment in some of Queensland’s most beautiful national parks and state forests by starting illegal fires, driving into no-go areas and even chopping down trees.

But rangers have had enough, with a recent compliance blitz resulting in 100 fines being issued for bad behaviour in one Far North Queensland forest alone.

Amid jaw-dropping surveillance video of people riding unrestrained on the top of cars and the back of utes, figures reveal nearly $700,000 in fines were handed out last financial year. Over 12 months, 3207 fines were issued in total around the state.

Forest users have been fined for dismantling signs and gates to access no-go areas in 4WDs and on dirt bikes.

There were also 51 illegal fires lit on Fraser Island last year despite a fire getting out of control on the heritage-listed island in 2020 and destroying more than half the island.

And it is continuing with QPWS preventing a potentially devastating bushfire near the Marloo camping area in the northern end of K’gari (Fraser Island), earlier this year.

“Rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) conduct regular compliance and educational patrols of Queensland’s national parks and state forests to ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience,” a Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said.

“Rangers also work with the Queensland Police Service and state forest managers on compliance issues, and have zero tolerance for people who ignore signage, cut locks on gates, damage the environment or create new dirt trails.

“Remote cameras are routinely used in our national parks and state forests as a deterrent to this type of behaviour.”

During a recent compliance blitz in the Danbulla State Forest, remote cameras were installed at seven locations, capturing people illegally accessing the state forest in their vehicles and conducting poor and dangerous behaviour.

Rangers expect to issue more than 100 Penalty Infringement Notices for various offences in the Danbulla State Forest.

Ranger Roger James said cameras installed at seven locations late last year had captured drivers illegally accessing the state forest and conducting a lot of poor and dangerous behaviour.

“The registered owner of every vehicle captured by our cameras is going to receive a $275 fine in the mail,” Mr James said.

“It is illegal to access some areas of the state forest for safety reasons, and we want people to read the signs and avoid the fines.

“We’ve taken photos of drivers who ignored our signage and cut locks on gates or created new dirt trails into the state forest by chopping down trees.

“Illegal access in the state forest is associated with other offences including camping without permits, illegal littering and lighting unlawful fires, which has impacted on vegetation in the past.

“Some of these people have been using the state forest tracks as their personal racetracks and often drive recklessly and cause damage by doing donuts or digging mud holes when they get bogged.

“What is clear, is that all the drivers have ignored locked gates, vehicle bollards and signage advising them not to enter.”

A table below shows the fines issued in 2020/21 financial year.

The maximum penalty for damaging a state forest is $2,740. The maximum penalty for prohibited acts in a state forest is $411,000 or two years imprisonment or both.