Rachel Hagan, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Local residents are up in arms after the dunes at trending Yorke Peninsula camp spot, Wauraltee Beach, were left covered in rubbish and human waste.

Beach goers took to social media to complain about what they had found left on the beach by campers after New Year’s Eve.

There were multiple posts on local community group pages about discarded tents, blankets, general rubbish, gazebos and human waste left on the beach.

Wauraltee resident Rachel Twelftree said the beach had become unmanageable since it became a hit on social media.

Though she agreed the damage may have been caused by a few people doing the wrong thing, she said the beach could not accommodate the number of visitors it attracted.

“I can obviously understand why people want to go, it’s an amazing place, but it’s not really sustainable because you have these huge caravans and no toilets and facilities down there,” Ms Twelftree said.

“At Easter time last year, someone did a drive and there were three kilometres of caravans all literally right next to each other.”

The Twelftrees decided to give their local beach a miss these holidays because of the many campers, but Ms Twelftree said in previous years they have had to clean up a lot of rubbish.

“It’s disheartening seeing how many people are down there and what is happening to the beach with the sand dunes disappearing and all the rubbish left,” Ms Twelftree said.

The State Government has issued a ban on overnight camping at the popular beach, starting from February 3, to prevent disruption to the environment.

The restrictions are aimed at protecting the coastal environment and increasing visitor safety.

Large camping vehicles such as caravans, campervans, motorhomes and tent trailers will not be allowed on the beach at any time.

Daytime vehicle access will remain for boat launching and recreation only.

Ms Twelftree agreed that camping should be banned on the beach, but agreed with having designated camping spots nearby.

“If people don’t have toilets in their caravans, then they’re going in the sand dunes — and a lot of them don’t, so all that waste is going into the ocean,” she said.

“You just can’t have 1000 people on the beach, like imagine if this was down at Moana, people would be horrified, and there’s actually toilets there.”

The impending ban has angered many campers taking advantage of the free beachfront camping at Wauraltee.

New South Wales resident Stephanie Ramirez, who was visiting Yorke Peninsula for the first time, said she saw Wauraltee Beach on social media, and her family decided they had to stop on their way to Esperance, especially before camping was banned.

“The ban is not going to stop us from visiting, but it’s just unfortunate because the beach camping is what keeps the people coming in,” Ms Ramirez said.

Other campers did not have the same opinion, with a few telling the YP Country Times this would be their last visit to Wauraltee because of the ban.

Ms Ramirez said she understood frustration from the local community and suspected the issues around littering had resulted from just a few people doing the wrong thing.

She said everyone she had seen during her short visit was very respectful of the environment, and there was a great atmosphere between campers on the beach. 

Camps booked out

Camping has been popular across Yorke Peninsula this summer, with the YP Council’s 19 Bush Campgrounds completely booked out from late December to early January.

This was the first summer YPC’s new booking system was in effect, and Mayor Darren Braund said the new system had so far been successful in making sure everyone who booked had a spot.

“The new Bush Camping booking system has significantly reduced the problem experienced in previous years of campers buying permits but being unable to fit in our campgrounds,” Mayor Braund said.

“Limiting capacity at campgrounds has also had a positive effect on the environment.

“Despite our best efforts to inform people about the new booking system, many campers still arrived without permits only to discover no more were available, and we sincerely thank the Ardrossan Visitor Information Centre for fielding enquiries during this time.

“The council’s ranger team did a fantastic job attending to the many issues that arise over the busy period including dealing with illegal campers.”

Mayor Braund said YPC staff would review the system again after this summer, and continue managing the camps as best as possible.

“We remind everyone to please book into a campground ahead of time to avoid disappointment,” he said.

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 14 January 2025.