Time's up: council fights backpackers with the clock

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday February 21, 2011

Aaron Cook

BACKPACKERS and their vans have long vexed councils in charge of popular Sydney beaches, taking up residence each summer in prime coastal locations.But the City of Sydney is also grappling with the problem, as a constant flow of road-weary travellers turn Bicentennial Park in Glebe into a free camping ground. They spill into the park, taking advantage of its toilets, water bubblers and rubbish bins and live beside the reserve for months at a time.Rangers are powerless to remove the tourists because the Local Government Act prevents the enforcement of "No camping" signs on public roads, a City of Sydney spokeswoman said.The council is investigating ways to discourage the backpackers and will introduce timed parking to the area in the next few weeks.The restrictions will only apply between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, allowing unrestricted parking overnight and on weekends.Tad Kuechler, from Germany, has slept in his station wagon next to the park for about five weeks. He cooks dinner on a tiny stove and walks 200 metres to the toilet. "It's a good way to save money so we don't have to go to a hostel and pay 25 bucks a night," Mr Kuechler said.Eric Faucon, from France, said he was the longest staying resident among the band of backpackers, having lived next to the park in a small white van for two months. He said the behaviour of some of the younger backpackers had crossed the line."We wanted to keep it really nice and clean and try not to annoy all the neighbourhood, but obviously we failed," Mr Faucon said.Northcote Road residents said the influx peaks at Christmas, when noisy parties continue late into the night.Peter Sykes, a resident, said he was frustrated the council had allowed the area to become a ghetto for low-budget campers. Clothing hangs from fences, people brush their teeth in the bubblers and some campers urinate nearby rather than go to the toilets. "This morning someone had a standing shower set up in the park," he said.The council will ask the Roads and Traffic Authority to extend tow-away rules that now apply to several streets in Kings Cross.Twenty-three backpacker vehicles have been towed since late August, but Geoff Field, a Potts Point resident, said Victoria Road was still full of backpackers' vehicles.The Waverley mayor, Sally Betts, said the council ordered about 40 vans a month between Bondi and Tamarama to move on.

© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald

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