Paradise Lost: Inequality in the Australian Alps

Increasing numbers of tourists are visiting the Snowy Mountains while affordable accommodation is on the decrease. Luke begs the question, who is the outdoors for?

 

The Island Bend campground sits upon the mighty Snowy River.

‘Where the river runs those giant hills between,’ goes Banjo Patterson’s famous poem, and inspiration drips with the morning dew.

The dawn light illuminates early morning mist, wafting off the gurgling winter waters as the fresh pale snow crunches under your boots.

From Island Bend it’s a short drive to the Guthega power station car park, or the Guthega village. Yet despite this, access to the Kosciuszko National Park in winter for the average Australian is becoming increasingly untenable.

Over the past three years changes in campsite management within the park and changes to the camping in your car policy in the Jindabyne area, have largely reduced capacity for budget accommodation. A draft amendment to the Plan of Management for the Snowy Mountains region was released in mid 2021, outlining a proposed plan for the region that will further disrupt options for budget accommodation.

Are we pricing out the ski bums?

 

Diminishing Campsites Making Way For Eco-Lodges

One of the biggest logistical hurdles when visiting the Snowy Mountains is working out where to sleep. The options for travellers have begun to shift and gentrify, eroding one of the primary intentions of national parks. Looking beyond the private ski resorts, a luxury out of reach for many, camping is the best option for budget accommodation.

Campsites like Island Bend, Ngarigo and Thredbo Diggings collectively offer a large array of winter camping options, with facilities to cater for the crowds willing to embrace a night camping in the snow. With the advent of Covid, NSW National Parks introduced a booking system with a palatable $6 fee for camping, and a cap on numbers. The downside to this new system is that campsites are booked out months in advance of the snow season.

However, those who turn up without a booking (as I did), will often find campsites that are close to empty. Punters are rolling the dice well in advance, and if the snow conditions aren’t optimal, forgoing the $6 booking fee and leaving the space unused. Those who don’t commit to the lottery are left out in the cold.

 

 

A draft amendment to the Plan of Management for the Snowy Mountains region, made publicly available in mid 2021, clearly outlines an expectation that visitors to the area will increase dramatically in the next decade. The privately owned ski resorts of Thredbo, Perisher and Charlotte Pass are set to have their bed capacity increased by over 3000 places.

The aspiration for more comfort accommodation eclipses the equally growing need for camping space. The plan shows intentions to develop eco-lodges (up to 100 beds) in the Island Bend camping area, with huge chunks of the campsite outlined for potential development, filling in already precious camping space.

The best comparisons for expected prices are nearby Creel and Numbananga eco-lodges, which cost between $500 – $1000 a night during the winter season. Happy campers may have referred to their riverfront campsite as prime real-estate, but it was never meant to be taken literally.

 

The Jindy-Bans: Lost Habitat For The Endangered Ski-bum

Those who are looking for a roof over their heads in town are more likely to encounter an economic glass ceiling, with cheaper accommodation still in the hundreds of dollars. Jindabyne, the nearest town to the Kosciuszko slopes, has recently made changes as to who can stay in town.

Camping in your car has been banned in the township and surrounding areas. The ban is a result of local community-raised issues relating to rubbish and overuse of facilities, with Covid again being cited as the final reason for a crackdown on the practice.

The problems that arose from the makeshift solution were well known, even to its users.

‘You get a lot of division in the community. It’s understandable when you see people set up their ‘camping equipment’ full-time, leave furniture, and have parties in a main car park. That’s a minority that can be managed though. They removed the ability to camp down at the lake due to the rubbish and human waste,’ says Jono, a recreational snowboarder and previous car camper.

 

 

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council indicates there are no plans to remove the ban, instead recommending the town caravan park where the most affordable option, a patch of grass to pitch your tent on, will set you back around $60 a night.

Jono argues that the money car campers saved would still be spent in the local economy.

‘Having the flexibility allowed me to stay ten days at a beautiful lodge at Smiggins Holes, go hot air ballooning in Jindabyne, buy better food, purchase new snow gear and allowed me to spend the rest of the season inside my van.’

As accomodation prices continue to rise both on and off the slopes, and even workers struggle to find affordable accomodation, it seems that not catering for the most affordable forms of accomodation will only deepen the inequality in the Snowy Mountains.

Looking To The Future: A Public Space For The Entire Public

With tightly-contested space colliding with the expected increase in visitor numbers, and a shorter snow season due to climate change, accommodation issues will worsen. The solutions currently being tabled don’t account for those who previously relied on very cheap or free accommodation options in the area to make a snow trip feasible.

Jono believes the solution for cheap accommodation in town is both simple and already in use elsewhere.

‘I’m currently travelling through Tasmania. A high majority of councils have free or affordable overnight stays, hot showers, and amenities. Some even have free powered outlets with fair guidelines and restrictions. It’s all part of tourism.’

 

 

In a publication by Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, the authors proposed several theories as to why there are high rates of public opposition to development in national parks, one theory being:

‘Perhaps the public considers that national parks are a public resource for public recreation and conservation, where everyone is on an equal footing; and not a component of the tourism industry, where wealthier clients can obtain a higher level of service.’

With the proposed direction of management for the Kosciuszko National Park, the focus appears to be on increased capacity for resorts and developing some existing camp space for glamping and eco-lodges.

Capacity for campers and car-sleepers isn’t in the scope of development for the park, or for Jindabyne, despite such options being the most affordable for accessing the national park.

It begs the question, what’s the point of a publicly funded and managed national park if it only caters to the wealthier members of the public?

 

Feature photo by @mattwisemanmedia