Western Arthur Range Potential Congestion

[PeterJ]

I recently went on a bushwalk through the Western Arthur Range where we met a commercial party from Tasmanian Expeditions at Lake Oberon. They were camped at lake Oberon and staying there for 3 nights and group of 4 (2 clients and 2 guides) were spread out on 3 of the 4 available platforms. The leader did offer to consolidate to two platforms to allow our party of 4 room, but as no one else arrived that day we did not need the space and manage to fit on the hardened area need the lake shore. However in differing circumstances it could easily get overcrowded there with the limited camping available.

I probably would not have thought much more about this, but have just received an newsletter (don’t know how I got on the mailing list) from Tas Expeditions, in which they promote future Western Arthur walks. These are described as 13 days with 12 nights which includes side trips for “6 trekkers” plus I assume 2 guides and departures in 2010 for 10 January, 7 Feb and 7 March. This has the potential for big problem with campsites for others.

The day is fast approaching when the Parks and Wildlife Service will have to impose a numbers limit and a booking system similar to the Overland Track.

[Singe]

I'd hope that if campsite congestion became an issue, the first response would be to place restrictions on the commercial operators... eg force them to pay for separate, exclusive facilities à la Overland Track. Commercial operators are generally to be encouraged though, IMO; they provide employment that doesn't rely on cutting down trees, bring in tourist dollars (Park entry fees plus the other money tourists spend in the state) and generally raise the profile of the Park. Provided that it's managed properly, this can only be a good thing...