Why are we being denied cost-of-living camping at Bear Gully?

A POPULAR holiday spot in South Gippsland, with both locals and visitors alike at this time of the year is the Bear Gully campground.

And why not, at $15.60-a-night for up to six guests, to camp alongside one of Victoria’s most beautiful, accessible and increasingly hard-to-come-by coastal locations it’s the perfect cost-of-living holiday option.

But, if you go to the Parks Vic website and hit the ‘Book Now’ button you’ll find that all 34 sites are 'unavailable' and have been for the best part of a year.

At the time Parks Vic closed Bear Gully they posted the following notice:

“Bear Gully Campground, including beach access through the site is currently closed to campers and day visitors until further notice.

“Parks Victoria is working with First Peoples - State Relations to investigate and assess potential impacts to cultural heritage at this site.

“We are taking a precautionary approach to limit harm / potential harm to these values, to fulfill our obligations under the Parks Victoria Act 2018 and Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. We thank visitors and the community for their patience and compliance with this closure while we investigate.

“We will notify visitors as soon as possible of any updates however campers with future bookings should remain aware of the changed conditions.”

But there has been no “as soon as possible” updates.

Parks Vic Media has been contacted for comment.

The Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) was also contacted for comment but say they are not officially responsible for the Bear Gully area.

It’s not part of the Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAP) area allocated to GLaWAC, they say, nor does it come under the purview of Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation. In fact, it’s not a registered area for any of the First Nations groups to comment on, although they may be consulted by Parks Vic under its ‘Managing Country Together’ powers.

So, if it’s not GLaWAC land or Bunurong country, Parks Vic appears to be in a position to provide its own update.

The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, is seeking answers as frustration mounts among would-be campers over the continued closure of Bear Gully campground.

The popular campground, located at Walkersville near Cape Liptrap and overlooking Wilsons Prom, has been closed since February 2023.

Mr O’Brien said Parks Victoria originally advised that the campground would be closed until 7 May, but that that had now been extended indefinitely with no further explanation.

“Parks Victoria has placed a few paragraphs on its website stating that the campground is closed while it ‘works with First People – State Relations to investigate and assess potential impacts to cultural heritage at this site’,” Mr O’Brien said.

“There is no advice on when the site will reopen or any explanation as to what cultural significance this campground might represent.”

Mr O’Brien said he had written to the Minister for Environment in June and again in October asking for more information on why the campground is closed and when it can be expected to reopen.

All he has been told so far is that the closure is “until further notice”.

Mr O’Brien said he had been contacted by a number of frustrated constituents who are keen to get back to their beloved campsite.

“These people are understandably frustrated that they are being locked out of their favourite camping spot without proper explanation.

“Nobody wants to damage or harm Aboriginal artefacts or anything of cultural significance, but we do want answers.”

The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, also raised the closure in Parliament this week.

“The failure to be transparent on what is going on and how long we can expect the closure to be in place is creating unnecessary angst,” Ms Bath said. “It’s time for the Minister to be up front and provide a timeline for the re-opening or at least be frank with the community about why it is closed.”