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New Fees Sign in The Pines 18-Oct-2012 At 3:51:50 PM Will_P

Message

C'mon ado_m, d'you think government functionaries take seriously correspondence where the subject itself is misspelled? But I've taken up your gauntlet...

Dear,

Re: Changes to the fee structure for overnight visitors to Mt. Arapiles - Tooan State Park

I’m contacting you as an active member of the Victorian rock climbing community and regular fee-paying visitor to Arapiles. As you would be aware, the park holds a special place not only in the Australian climbing scene, but maintains a unique reputation amongst the climbing community worldwide, and attracts visitors to the Wimmera region from throughout the world. As such, the maintenance and upkeep of the park and its facilities is an important issue to us.

Contrary to some feedback you may have received, we are not opposed to a reasonable camping fee increase per person. The former accepted fee of $2 per night was recognised as being far lower than other similar destinations, and for those who were reluctant to pay, significant peer pressure was often brought to bear to encourage compliance, with the understanding that these fees contributed to park maintenance and facilities upkeep. We believe the revised fee structure, with its complexities and vagaries, along with the difficulties of enforcement, will deprive the park of funds.

For example, if a car arrives with two to four passengers on a Thursday night, and is joined by another car (or two, or three) the next day, with another two (or three, or four) passengers, but one car load of passengers leaves after only one night, and the remainder stay a further two nights… how should the fee be paid? And, if this group can figure out how to pay, how will the Ranger determine accurate compliance? Or who to fine if non-compliance is seen? A degree of flexibility needs to be built in to an Arapiles fee structure to enable and encourage compliance.

We encourage and would support a return to a ‘per person, per night’ tag-and-envelope fee system, and are confident a simple system, with a reasonable fee (affordable for students and low-budget international travellers), would ensure greater revenue for the park than the complicated new fee structure.

Sincere regards,