Shire of Broome to crackdown on backpackers illegally sleeping in vehicles in carparks, hotspots in town

People illegally sleeping in vehicles in carparks and bushland around Broome will be targeted in a major crackdown by rangers in the upcoming peak tourist period. According to the Shire of Broome, six $1000 fines and 16 official warnings were handed out last year, prompting preventative measures to stamp the issue out ahead of the dry season. Shire deputy president Desiree Male said hotspots for illegal camping were the Cable Beach and Broome Surf Life Saving Club carparks, where the areas were littered with rubbish. Other areas include Town Beach, north of the Cable Beach rocks, Gantheaume Point, and bushland reserves. Cr Male said rangers would be visible in known problem areas to stamp the issue out as early as possible in the season. “There will be a strong message in 2020 that illegal camping in Broome is not acceptable,” she said. “In the first instance, rangers will issue verbal cautions and will follow this up with official warnings and infringements should the problem persist. “Shire rangers undertake regular patrols of sites where illegal camping has occurred in recent years, including overnight, and respond to community complaints.” Cr Male said the issue had a negative impact on the wider Broome community, on top of being against the law. “Previously, illegal campers have been witnessed littering and partaking in antisocial behaviour, while reticulation systems and flora/fauna in conservation estates have been damaged,” she said. “At Cable Beach carpark, illegal campers have at times used multiple car parking berths to unpack their possessions, which is far from ideal in the dry season when throngs of people descend on one of our main tourist attractions.” Broome Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Elaine Jolliffe said those choosing to sleep illegally in vehicles instead of paying to stay in town offered nothing to the economy.