A man has divided a popular seaside town after confronting a driver for ‘illegal camping’ at a popular beach destination.
The man posted a photo on Facebook showing a Mazda Tribute V6 with leather plates taking up two parking spaces in Woods Bay in Noosa.
A tent on top of the car took over the two spaces, with the local man calling on the council to ‘step up their game’.
“Early Sunday in Woods Bay as parking lot fills up quickly,” the message said.
‘Come on, municipality, step up and get serious about this illegal camping company.’
A man has divided a popular seaside town after confronting a driver for ‘illegal camping’ at a popular beach destination
The man wrote: ‘This was not the only overnight camper in the area and clearly not homeless.’
Hundreds flocked to the comments section to add their two cents, with many agreeing and outraged.
‘Homeless or not, you simply don’t camp in public spaces. Go camp somewhere where you won’t bother others,” said one Facebook user.
“It’s called manners and half the people don’t have any these days.”
Meanwhile, many locals disagreed with the post, calling for “leave the overnight guests alone” and wondering what the “big deal” is.
‘Leave these people alone! They probably stop after a long drive,” said one commenter, who called Noosa locals “sour and rude”.
“In the 1970s all the surfers used to camp in the woods, but then there was a caravan park,” another noted.
Others suggested letting them “camp in peace.”
Noosa Council has issued a statement to Channel 7 saying parking at Noosa Woods is prohibited between 10pm and 4am in a bid to put an end to illegal camping.
“Parking officers, along with the help of the Queensland Police Service, continue to deal with those violating parking and camping laws with patrols conducted several times a day – including early morning and into the evening – and violators will be issued fines.” , the municipality said. 7NEWS.com.au.
“As an additional deterrent, the city is considering expanding overnight parking restrictions, increasing fines and deploying other enforcement options, such as tow-away signs, in all high-demand areas.”
The council also said parking attendants are trained not to target people in ‘real need due to rental and housing issues’.
Noosa Council has been contacted for comment.