Trailers Banned from Simpson 1 Jan 2009

I just read the information here on ExploreOz on the front page of the newsletter no. 164 dated 4 September 2008.

It is a process of government that someone devises a policy and it is then implemented. It would be written down somewhere and recorded so that if you challenge the banning authority they will tell you that "Our Department" or "The Minister" or "A Regulation has been passed" directing that a ban take place. I am interested in challenging it as we are already over-regulated and I was looking for the starting point.

Hi Moosehead,

Good luck with that. If you get nowhere trying to get a reason from them, try the Freedom of Information route - it sometimes works.

I have a Daughter in Local Government. She cracks us up with some of the things she sees and hears. As she says, most things decided at a Departmental level are done so by Committee. It usually starts with a meeting (meetings are the practical alternative to working) and someone will say something like "have you seen all the abandoned trailers out in the Simmo?"

They'll all nod and mutter and then some bright spark will say "We should ban them". After that it's a foregone conclusion. These people know that under the legislation they can do pretty much anything they like. They then make a consensus decision, thereby negating the possibility that any single person is actually responsible for the decision.....and the decision is implemented.

Bottom line....there doesn't actually have to be a reason and no individual can be held responsible for the decision. Often as not, these decisions do not need to be ratified by departmental heads or Ministers if they are already within the scope of the Regulations set by that Department.

Some things they decide suck, others make sense. Personally, I wouldn't drag a trailer across the Simmo, and I think that people who do pull trailers across need to think a bit more about the damage they do to the tracks, but I do agree with you that we are an over-Governed and over-regulated population as it is now.

I'm particularly p 'ed off that I have to wear a helmet to ride a push-bike. Laws that protect people from themselves are very annoying. We Australians don't protest enough when stupid laws, regs and ruled are invoked. I've talked to many Europeans who say that no European Government in their right mind would bring in some of the laws that Australians simply acquiesce to.

I'd better stop before I start grumbling about needing permits to traverse roads that my taxes paid to have built in the first place...

Cheers

Russ.

pjd
I have a simple answer here, anyone towing a trailer must check it in at Mt Dare, and if it's not attached to the vehicle when Birdsville Police Station for a check out then a recovery fine could be applied , is that to hard ,

.

Doug, thats ok if you exit the desert at Birdsville.

Krakka
Yeh.... your right ya know, forgot the Warburton Track.

.

Simple Krakka, if authorities chased you up after you got home, take your trailer to local police stn and get them to sight it. Problem solvered. If you did Hay River perhaps call into Alice police stn (depending on your direction).

pjd you're spot on. We’ve turned around in sand country before and been unable to find our own tracks after 30m.

Too many tossers trying to justify their office jobs,,,,, never even been to a desert....
Like the parks pass...... What a joke....
Another TAX!!!!!!!!!
100bucks to cross a waste land on top of fuel and running cost.....
Got us by the short and curlies,,,, because we dont want to stay at home on our time off.............
They give you a flash book and make it seem like more than it is...

But having said that i love the desert,, but not because of what that book says...

I meant The Oodnadatta Track by the way.

Good one GB. That made me chuckle.

Norm C

Me too, not many dumped sedans etc. out there!

Crackles,
Thanks for your valued input but not sure how your response helped me to answer my original question. My trailer is a full offroad model ALLTERRAIN CAMPERTRAILER and I needed to distinguish it from the cheapy box trailers with tents on the back (no offence intended as they have their uses, two of my mates have them and reckon I went overboard). I have travelled much of Central Australia, Victoria and Cape York via the full length of the Telegraph Track. I have even recovered other vehicles using the tow point on the ALLTERRAIN CAMPERTRAILER trailer with my NISSAN Patrol 4.2 GU (and I am not advertising for NISSAN). Many of the cheapy trailers use the terms all terrain and offroad which you correctly identified may not be the case so I wanted to ensure that I spoke with some experience and others across Australia on ExplorOz knew what I was on about when I asked the question. This brand of camper trailer is well respected at all the camping shows and built solidly, that is why I am proud of our camper.

From the discussion it appears camper trailers may be banned because of either:-
1. Damaging the tracks through
too high tyre pressure
not adhering to tread lightly principles
poor driving technique
2. Breaking down and being abandoned
3. Cost to authorities of removing broken down trailers
4. Jealous public officials stuck in offices and not enjoying the Simpson in their ALLTERRAIN CAMPERTRAILER.

As to finding the answer to "Who is actually proposing the ban?" I will continue inquiring. I read the ExplorOz newsletter No. 164 and following up from their with this original question.

PS. Loved my first ALLTERRAIN CAMPERTRAILER so much I upgraded and now onto my second one.

"not sure how your response helped me to answer my original question".
1st part of your question asks why they are going to be banned. Simply put the damage from too higher pressures, carrying too much weight on inappropriate campers has led to trouble where authorities need to act to both protect the environment & stop people putting themselves at risk. The fella a few posts on is a case in point considering taking a Jaco across simply because he's been to the Cape with it!
As capable as any trailer may be even the best of them will fail when overloaded or driven too hard with inexperienced drivers having trouble no matter what they are towing.
As for an official reason there is nothing official yet about this trailer ban although agree it is important to challenge these idea's early to nip them in the bud before they do become law.
In all honesty I thought you were selling All Terrain campers the way you plugged it but obvious now just a happy owner :">
Cheers Craig.........

"the next wind will repair them, won't it......" It probably does to some extent Brian but many unused seismic lines put in 30 years ago are still clearly visable as the plants often don't grow back. The increased trailer traffic has led to many driving up the dunes on an angle trying to find easier routes, the wind no doubt filling the tracks soon enough but vegetation run over takes many years to come back.
Cheers Craig............

Thats the point some people with or without trailers do follow the rules and the rest with or without trailers dont.
A well set up 4wd with a capable offraod camper trailer NOT caravan and an experienced driver will do no damage to the desert. As to those who have an inadequate vehicle then wack an oversized camper of caravan behind it and have no experience except for morer right boot will get me there will do the damage.
The trailer ban will not happen that easily because there will still be clowns doing the wrong thing with or without a trailers.

What could be tried is for travellers in the desert to ask other travellers what their tyre pressures are and if to high politely advise them and if your advice is not wanted take their rego number and report them to the Ranger.

Keep on towing
Paul.