{"id":276283,"date":"2020-09-14T19:06:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T09:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=276283"},"modified":"2020-09-14T19:06:17","modified_gmt":"2020-09-14T09:06:17","slug":"get-permits-or-get-fined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2020\/09\/14\/get-permits-or-get-fined\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Permits Or Get Fined"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Visitors to the Cooloola region are being reminded to obey the rules and get the correct permits or risk being fined
(Photo: Department of Environment)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

September 14, 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Weekend warriors heading to the coast are being urged to plan ahead by obtaining the correct permits and to behave responsibly after 32 Penalty Infringement Notices were issued in the Cooloola region during the past week.<\/p>\n

A Department of Environment spokesperson said Queensland\u2019s recreation areas were experiencing higher-than-normal visitor and camper numbers over recent months and this trend was expected to continue into the upcoming school holidays.<\/p>\n

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers regularly patrol the Cooloola Recreation Area, which includes Teewah Beach campground.<\/p>\n

Senior Ranger Col Lawton said rangers had to move on more than 10 visitors who had a valid vehicle access pass (VAP) but did not have a COVID-19 Restricted Access Area Authority (RAAA) for the duration of their visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring their patrols, rangers found evidence that visitors had freshly cut some tree branches in the camping area to allow access for large caravans,\u201d Mr Lawnton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an offence in recreation areas to remove branches from trees or collect fallen branches for firewood in Queensland national parks, and people can be issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN).<\/p>\n

\u201cRangers are also concentrating on driving offences and can issue PINs for offences such as unregistered vehicles, driving without a licence, not wearing seat belts and driving without due care and attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent PINs were issued for:<\/strong><\/p>\n