Latest news with #ParksVictoria
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Invasive predator strolls through Aussie suburb as crisis grows
An invasive predator was spotted strolling around an inner-city building this week, shocking Aussies passing by on their way to work. Photos show the brazen red fox casually strutting up a flight of stairs in Parkville, Melbourne, before wandering along what appears to be an apartment complex's fence — all in broad daylight. The destructive pest, which locals say they have affectionately named 'Frédérique', was caught on camera by a curious man who briefly followed the animal. However the seemingly innocent scene is anything but. Foxes are increasingly making their way into Aussie suburbs and major metropolitan areas, with cities like Perth, Sydney and Melbourne hosting the highest populations in the country. And it seems that residents are very aware of their presence, with some revealing online that they see 'Frédérique' walking around 'like he owns the place' on a daily basis. 'I hate that they're so cute but at the same time such a pest. I see them relatively frequently around the northern suburbs,' one Melburnian commented on the Reddit post. 'They're unfortunately quite common,' another added. Urban areas have a higher population of foxes compared to rural areas due to the availability of food, water and shelter. It's estimated that there are as many as 16 foxes per square km in Melbourne, according to Agriculture Victoria. According to recent research by the Australian National University, there are thought to be some 1.7 million foxes across the country, with populations found on 80 per cent of the continent. Their presence, along with feral cats, has had a devastating impact on our wildlife, contributing significantly to Australia's status as having the worst mammal extinction rate in the world. Each year, foxes kill about 300 million native mammals, birds and reptiles. Along with human activity, foxes are speeding up the loss of native animals in our cities. 'The red fox has played a major role in the decline of ground-nesting birds and small to medium sized mammals in Victoria,' Parks Victoria says. 'Foxes are opportunistic predators and scavengers that impact native wildlife, spread weeds and cause production loss in livestock systems.' In Victoria, foxes are declared as established pests, therefore all homeowners and land managers are required to take reasonable steps to help control their spread. 🚘 Predator spotted on Aussie road exposes sinister reality 🐢 Aussie council under pressure as iconic species ravaged by predator 📸 Sad story behind image of emu toes amid Australia's invasive species crisis Earlier this year, a fox was photographed standing in the middle of a busy Perth intersection in the middle of the day, not long after local authorities revealed the predators had killed 300 turtles in an ecologically significant set of wetlands over the span of a year. In autumn, young foxes are 'on the move' in search of new territory after being 'kicked out of home', population management specialist Gillian Basnett recently told Yahoo. However, in cities, it is particularly difficult to completely remove foxes. 'Because we're so close to human habitation and pet animals, it leaves us with a limited set of tools to manage fox numbers," she said. Despite this, Basnett said there are things you can do to help protect local wildlife and deter foxes. They include: Don't leave pet food outside overnight Use enclosed compost bins Keep domestic animals secure at night Remove fallen fruit around fruit trees Keep garbage bins covered Block entry points to drains Close off access to underneath buildings Use fox-proof enclosures for poultry — remember foxes dig and can climb Turn off outside lights that might attract insects Reduce weeds that provide food and shelter, such as Blackberries Record sightings in FoxScan. Deterrents need to be intermittent as they will habituate quickly. E.g. sensor spotlights rather than lights on all the time. Have gardens with lots of plants that wildlife can hide in, grasses, shrubs, rocks, logs, etc. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Harebrained': Free camping policy scrapped after ghost campers, empty sites
Tourism operators in regional communities and avid campers are breathing a sigh of relief after the Allan government dumped a free camping initiative that they say did more harm than good. Critics remain furious the government pushed ahead with the 'harebrained' policy, despite warnings from the outset it would negatively impact national parks, hurt local communities and put enormous pressure on cash-strapped Parks Victoria. The initiative, announced in October by Premier Jacinta Allan and Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos, gave campers free access to all of the state's 131 formerly paid Parks Victoria campgrounds from December 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. They estimated it would save campers $7.3 million – with booking fees costing up to $40 a night for more popular areas. While it resulted in an enormous spike in bookings – up 93 per cent from the year prior, according to Parks Victoria – the initiative was besieged with problems. Many campers who secured spots were no-shows, leaving some of the state's most popular campsites desolate over peak periods. Meanwhile, caravan park rates soared and rubbish dumping increased. Loading Gippsland East MP Tim Bull and fellow Nationals MP Melina Bath warned against the policy from the outset and continually raised concerns to the government over its six-month lifespan. Bull said campsites within his electorate usually full from Boxing Day through to the middle of January were, at best, two-thirds full – meaning thousands fewer campers in East Gippsland. 'It was a debacle over Christmas,' Bull said. 'I raised it again prior to Easter and said, 'we don't want our peak tourist season camp parks with 50 per cent vacancies like we had over Christmas'. 'It wasn't fixed for Easter, and it happened again ... We're still recovering from fires and COVID down here that were back to back, and we rely on our campsites being full for our local communities.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ghost bookings scuttle state's free camping initiative: 'It's been a disaster'
It was billed as a cost-of-living measure aimed at making holidaying domestically more affordable for Aussie families, but free camping in Victoria will not be renewed in July after the initiative was found to be of "no benefit" to regional communities and the local tourism economy. Originally announced in October 2024, the state government scheme made camping free at all sites across Victoria. However it's since been plagued by issues, namely ghosting camping — a growing issue reported at campgrounds across the country — and by complaints of illegal rubbish dumping. Nationals member for eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, whose electorate includes national park land has even branded the free camping initiative "systematically flawed" and said it "had been a disaster on a number of levels". Meanwhile national parks authorities have backed the end of free camping and endorsed a move towards a 50 per cent reduction in booking fees. A camper who attended the Jamieson Creek Campground along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria in April said he was shocked to find it totally vacant, despite claiming it was fully booked on the Parks Victoria online booking system. "It was really strange as I was expecting it to be full... the only resident there was a wallaby in a fire pit eating someone's leftovers," camper Ross Edwards told Yahoo News Australia. Industry experts say the main problem with the program is the fact it was rolled out without any enforcement. Aussie couple Michelle and her husband Heatley, who own a free camping guide app, criticised the lack of management involved in the free camping policy. "If you're going to introduce a new policy, then you need to manage it. They can't just put their hands up without an answer [to ghost booking] and say it's not their responsibility," they told Yahoo recently. "There needs to be boots on the ground to have it managed effectively and address ghost bookings. Otherwise, they aren't achieving the desired outcome at all." Free camping offer to millions of Aussies savaged Couple blast 'selfish' act creating major camping issue Illegal campers warned of $62,000 fines after highway find Caravan and Residential Parks Victoria chief executive Scott Parker agrees, saying the unfortunate outcome over the summer months was foreseeable. "And it was clearly communicated by the association to the government during the policy's implementation," he said. "It was contrary to the principles of the government's own competitive neutrality policy," he told the ABC this week as the state government announced the policy would not continue. Victorian National Parks Association executive director Matt Ruchel also told the national broadcaster that the free camping initiative had created problems for the local industry. "The fact that people are paying a fee means that they're more likely to turn up," he said. In this week's budget, the Victorian government announced the reinstatement of half-price camping at Parks Victoria's 131 paid, government-run campgrounds, running from July through until June 2027. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Free camping to end in Victoria after ghost bookings and rubbish dumping
A free camping program in Victoria plagued by ghost bookings and rubbish dumping has been abandoned by the state government. In yesterday's budget the government outlined a return to a half-price camping structure at Parks Victoria's 131 paid, government-run campgrounds from July to June 2027. The free camping idea introduced in October 2024 was dogged by problems, including rubbish dumping and no-shows at campsites fully booked online. Caravan and Residential Parks Victoria chief executive Scott Parker said free camping was "a poorly considered initiative" that disadvantaged private caravan park owners. "Ghost camping was an outcome that was foreseen and clearly communicated by the association to government during the policy's implementation. "It was contrary to the principles of the government's own competitive neutrality policy." Mr Parker said better options were suggested to the government at the outset. "Providing campers in private caravan parks with a voucher equivalent to the discounts offered at unregulated government campgrounds would have delivered more choice for Victorians, stronger support for small business operators, grown regional tourism and avoided the inefficiencies of a poorly managed free booking system," he said. Victorian National Parks Association executive director Matt Ruchel admitted the free camping initiative had created problems for small communities, but said moving to a 50 per cent reduction in booking fees could be a good compromise. Mr Ruchel said the amount of revenue Parks Victoria generated from camping fees was a small proportion of their overall budget. "You need to have hundreds of thousands of visitors … to certain places to generate income, which is not always what the environment needs, so you need the state to be funding … the park management agency," he said. Nationals member for eastern Victoria Melina Bath, whose electorate includes the Wilsons Promontory National Park, said the free camping initiative was "systematically flawed" and damaged the regional tourism economy. Ms Bath said frustrated campers contacted her saying sites would often be 100 per cent booked online, only to have about 50 per cent of campers turning up. "That does not support local business in our towns, or even the facilities," she said. "You've got local towns who've had a drop in patronage, a drop in sales." Free camping will end at government-run sites from July 1. Half-price campsite bookings will be staggered due to high demand at some locations, such as Tidal River at Wilsons Promontory.
SBS Australia
14-05-2025
- SBS Australia
A sacred Bpangerang women's site has been vandalised
A sacred Aboriginal site in north-east Victoria has been defaced with spray paint, prompting outrage and sadness from Traditional Custodians and local community advocates. The site, located at Paradise Falls in the King Valley — a culturally significant women's place for the Bpangerang people — was vandalised over the weekend. Graffiti was discovered on rocks within the sacred area, sparking calls for accountability and greater protection of Aboriginal heritage sites. The advocacy group Always Was, Always Will Be Bpangerang Country shared images of the damage on social media, condemning the act and urging those responsible to return and clean the site. 'This is a place of deep spiritual importance, and what's happened here is not just disrespectful — it's a violation of culture,' the group wrote. 'We're calling on the individuals who did this to come forward and take responsibility.' Paradise Falls is located around 305 kilometres from Melbourne. The waterfall, which drops over a layered rock formation, has long been a place of connection and ceremony for Bpangerang women. Authorities were notified of the incident by Parks Victoria. Victoria Police have confirmed they are investigating and have appealed for public assistance. 'The affected rock face is known to hold cultural value to local Indigenous communities,' a police spokesperson said. 'At this stage, there is no indication the act was targeted, but inquiries are ongoing.' Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
