Campsites across Australia have become a popular family holiday destination in recent years, but many Australians are also ditching traditional accommodation to experience the van life, often in other locations. Relying on the facilities available in the caravan parks And campsites in national parks.
But an Australian father and camp enthusiast has shed light on A growing problem spreading across the country. He called for major changes in national parks across the country where “ghost reservations” continue to frustrate the camping community.
Michael Atkinson, also known as Outback Mike, who appeared on the popular TV show Alone Australia, took aim at the broken reservation system currently in place in many national parks where visitors pay a small fee before their stay to reserve a spot. However, despite many sites appearing to be fully booked, many sites often remain empty due to lack of attendance.
“I’m not attacking national parks. It’s not their fault that people book and don’t show up,” he said in a TikTok video. “I’m just pointing out that the system that was introduced for social distancing because of Covid is not working well and is no longer needed. My vote is to abandon it.”
His statement comes after he arrived at a “fully booked campsite in Kosciuszko National Park” to find it “80 or 90 percent empty.”
“I just want to point out an issue with the booking system,” he continued from the NSW site. “Basically, this is site number 19 and I think there are over 20 sites here and only one in five actually has someone. But the whole place is booked.”
He explained the issue in detail, saying: “People are booking them and not using them,” stressing that “it is not a successful system.”
“If it wasn’t for this last remaining site, I wouldn’t be able to camp in the park,” he continued. “I would have to go somewhere else and all these empty spaces are worthless.”
“Reservation system has proven its worth” in national parks
A spokesman for the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which looks after Kosciuszko National Park, confirmed that the reservation system was in fact introduced as a measure to combat Covid-19, but said reservations had since “proved useful in other ways”, suggesting they had no intention of scrapping the current system.
They explained that the reservation system allows the park to “proactively manage capacity and visitor distribution, as well as events such as flooding and closures.” It also “reduces the need for visitors to search for campsites during peak seasons” and helps “provide targeted safety measures.”
Asked about the issue of “ghost bookings,” a spokesperson for the authority told Yahoo News Australia: “The authority understands that circumstances may change after a booking has been made and encourages visitors to cancel any bookings that are no longer required to make room for other guests.” However, it is understood that there are no refunds for cancellations.
Lack of cleaning and maintenance is also a problem in camps.
They added, “Visitors are surveyed after their stay in national parks, and 90% of them express satisfaction. Complaints usually refer to the bad behavior of other visitors and lack of cleanliness and maintenance.”
Concerns have also grown about Vulnerable parks and beaches across the country are in disarray.with Anarchist campers are regularly called out for littering. And “destroying” some of the most pristine areas in Australia.
Last month, Crowds of campers descend on Kosciuszko National Park.In the New South Wales Snowy mountains leave behind mountains of “horrific” garbage, prompting calls for tougher penalties.
‘Ghost booking’ a problem across Australia
A large number of Australians commented on Atkinson’s video, agreeing that they too saw the issue. “We’ve seen this many times too,” said one. Others agreed that it was “really disturbing.”
But the problem isn’t limited to New South Wales, with some campers noting that “it’s pretty bad on the west coast too.” Western Australia is home to some of the country’s most pristine parks and beaches, but many of them have become off-limits to travellers struggling to secure a spot.
One family told Yahoo earlier that they I had to make the reservation six months in advance. To ensure they get a spot, or leave it to chance. But that could mean they end up in an expensive campground or illegally parked on the side of the road.
There are 3,712 campsites in 270 campgrounds throughout Washington State managed by DBCA. Of the 270 campsites, 76 are reservable and 194 are non-reservable.
Campers are encouraged to cancel trips to avoid missing out on others.
Rod Aner, assistant director of visitor services at the DBCA, encourages those who wish to cancel their reservation to do so a day before arrival. “It’s about fairness, flexibility and ensuring accommodation upon arrival,” he said.
Speaking about the issue of “ghost bookings,” Aner told Yahoo!: “Although some campsites may appear empty during the day, campers’ behavior varies with regard to arrival and departure times; sites that may appear unoccupied that night may be booked and have late arrivals and early departures.
“While many campgrounds are unstaffed, where volunteer camp hosts and park staff are available, and staff resources permit, a camper who has not received their reserved campsite can be contacted and informed that their reservation has been cancelled and offered to someone else or is available for online reservation through Park Stay WA,” he continued.
Our terms and conditions allow campers or camp hosts to cancel reservations from 10am the next day when campers do not arrive to use their reservations.
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