Story and Photos by DENNIS AMOR

OUTRAGED caravanners have blasted a Queensland council for banning them from a picture-perfect oceanside camping area.

"This is discrimination at its worst," an angry Joe Trainer told Caravanning News before driving his Nissan Patrol and Viscount caravan out of Norval Park, north of Bundaberg. "I've been coming here for years but was amazed to find a huge sign telling me that caravans are no longer allowed here."

Bundaberg Regional Council has decided only tents and camper trailers will now be allowed at the pristine area ... and a ban has been slapped on caravans, motorhomes, campervans and all other vehicles "used for accommodation".

Picturesque Norval Park had attracted generations of local campers and caravanners for many years.

Neatly laid out camping sites

But the now defunct Burnett Shire Council suddenly banned camping just weeks before the 2007 Christmas period, throwing the holiday plans of many local families and travellers into chaos. There were angry protests after it spent nearly $40,000 installing huge rocks and fencing to block off camping sites.

But the new council, created under local government reorganisation, has since removed the rocks and marked out 10 camping sites with logs and woodchip. It has also installed a second water tank, new flush toilets and a sink.

Pre-booked camping permits allow up to 12 people to camp on each site. Adults and children aged 11 and over are charged $5 each a night.

"The council has done a great job laying out the area but has angered many caravanners and motorhomers by banning them," New South Wales caravanner Edgar Major said. "It's a disgrace and an insult to us all. We feel like second-rate travellers."

Members of an online caravanners' forum have also fired a broadside at the council. They questioned how the council could justify barring travellers in caravans while at the same time announcing they had re-opened the area for grey nomads.

"Just how many grey nomads do you see in tents?" one asked.

The pristine Norval Park beach

Another wondered whether the ban had anything to do with the fact that the council operated its own caravan park at nearby Miara.

A staff member at Bundaberg's tourist information centre, from where camping permits can be obtained, told Caravanning News that several caravanners and motorhomers had been turned away after asking for permits. "They were very surprised when told they were not allowed to stay at Norval Park," he said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch claimed her council was being "fair and equitable" to all parties.

"The site rules will help protect the surrounding environment, and provide a positive and sustainable experience for everyone who will enjoy visiting Norval Park now and into the future," she said.

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