Rodney Stevens
The controversial proposal to prevent campers, some of whom have been holidaying on the same site for more than 50 years, staying at 34 sites at Brooms Head Holiday Park saw a public meeting convened on January 2.
Clarence Valley Council CVC documents state Council currently manages the whole reserve as the Crown land manager of R65975, the physical management of the reserve is undertaken by Council’s Open Spaces and Facilities section.
A draft Plan of Management PoM was developed by an independent group for CVC which was debated at the February 2024 meeting, before being passed by Councillors at the April 2024 meeting, where it was resolved that Council:
1.Continue with preparing the Draft PoM in accordance with the resolution in February 2024.
2.Allocates funds to a maximum of $40,000 from the Crown Maintenance Reserve (RA70010) to complete this PoM for the engagement of a planning consultant only (this does not include the appointment of a conflict resolution consultant.
3.Note that the Terms of Reference for the PoM does not include, or relate to, the 2017 Concept Design Report for Brooms Head Holiday Park.
The resolution was carried 7 votes to 2 with Cr’s Karen Toms and Steve Pickering voting against.
Council identified the potential “polarisation within the community” surrounding the issue in its April 2024 business papers where Council staff recommended that Council:
1.Note the estimated time and additional cost estimate to prepare a new draft Brooms Head Reserve Plan of Management.
2.Note the need to engage both a planning consultant and a facilitator specialising in conflict resolution given the polarisation within the community regarding the future management of the Reserve.
3.Allocate $100,000 from the Crown Maintenance Reserve (RA70010) to prepare a new draft Brooms Head Reserve Plan of Management and include the activity in the 2024/2025 Operational Plan.
But, after decades-long campers were issued an email by the Brooms Head Holiday Park Management Team, dated April 21, 2024, informing them that from March 4, 2024, “caravans will no longer be permitted on the Waterfront B Section of Brooms Head Holiday Park” “in order to comply with local and state legislation including our Authority to Operate”, many people made alternative arrangements so they could continue their traditional family vacations.
Brooms Campers and Caravanners Association BHCCA spokesperson, Ken Shephard told the CV Independent they had to sell their caravan and buy a camper trailer to comply with the new regulations.
He said campers are furious as there was absolutely no input or consultation from or with the effected campers.
Then on December 13, 2024, at 3pm, Mr Shephard said all current and future occupants of the 34 sites (equivalent to 45 per-cent of all unpowered sites in the Holiday Park) where camping is proposed to be stopped from May 7, 2025, were sent another email advising “As of this date, the following sites will be transitioned to Open Spaces for community use.”
Section B: Unpowered beachfront sites (Sites 1-24)
Section AC: Unpowered sites (Sites 1-10)
“We understand this news may impact your usual camping arrangements. To explore alternative booking options for 2025, please contact Brooms Head Holiday Park directly at info@broomsheadholidaypark.com.au.”
At the November 2024 CVC meeting, a 6 to 3 vote saw a resolution carried that Council:
1.Endorse the draft Brooms Head Reserve Plan of Management for Crown Reserve R65975 to be referred to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure – Crown Lands and Public Spaces, to seek approval to publicly exhibit the Plan of Management.
2.Prepare a detailed Site Plan for the Brooms Head Reserve while the Plan of Management is being reviewed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure – Crown Lands and Public Spaces.
- Invite the Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation YTOAC to provide advice for inclusion in the site plan and/or Plan of Management on the components, details and other matters that are important to the Corporation.
- Present:
*The response to the draft Plan of Management from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure – Crown Lands and Public Spaces once received,
*The advice from the YTOAC
*The public
To a councillor workshop that will review the Site Plan and Draft Plan of Management.
5.Once approval has been obtained from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure – Crown Lands and Public Spaces, exhibit the draft Brooms Head Reserve Plan of Management and Site Plan concurrently, for 42 days over which time Council will accept public submissions.
6.Report any submissions received and the draft Brooms Head Reserve Plan of Management and site plan back to Council after the submission period has closed, for consideration of its adoption (or re-exhibition) as per the requirements of section 40 of the Local Government Act 1993.
Cr’s Debrah Novak, Greg Clancy and Lynne Cairns voted against this motion.
As a result, a public meeting was held at the “Dolphin Shed” at Brooms Head Reserve on January 2, attended by about 120 people including BHCCA members, and CVC Councillors Greg Clancy, Lynne Cairns, Cristie Yager and Debrah Novak.
Attendees were provided a BHCCA annual report prepared by President, Bruce Towner.
The report states “The tradition of Brooms Head being a “Camping Reserve” is being thrown away.”
The plight of “Traditional Site Occupants of BH” is detailed in the report where 16 “Traditional Site Occupants” who had a “licence to camp on these sites under the 1995 Plan of Management” for the Holiday Park were prevented from camping after decades occupying “family sites”.
Mr Shephard said the “Traditional Site Occupants” of the 16 sites near the “Dolphin Shed” were advised in 2016 that the “Traditional Sites” would be phased out by attrition, and they continued to camp annually on the sites until 2019, when they were prohibited.
The report also details the Council’s effluent disposal system “on the frontal sand dune of BH is way past ludicrous.”
Mr Shephard said he has lodged a Government Information Public Access GIPA request for documents including the 2024 draft Plan of Management PoM and site plan, the previous 1995 PoM, and documents dated May 15, 1936, when the area at Brooms Head was declared a Crown Reserve for “rest and recreation”.
He said people from as far away as Cairns and all over Australia come annually for their summer holiday to Brooms Head Holiday Park every year, and all businesses in the town that rely on the vital tourist income to survive were not consulted about the proposal to prevent people camping on 34 sites.
“There must surely be camping alternatives which comply with all governing legislation and rules which would allow this community land to be able to continue the camping traditions and maximise the community’s use of this land,” the BHCCA 2024 annual report states.
Mr Shephard said he was informed that the draft PoM without a site plan for Brooms Head Holiday Park has been forwarded to Crown Lands for approval.
He said Council estimates it could cost $100,000 for an independent contractor to prepare a new draft PoM and site plan.
The CV Independent has contacted Clarence Valley Council and NSW Government Crown Lands about this issue and will provide responses in the next edition.