Two 4WD drivers face hefty costs after their vehicles were trapped on protected saltpans in the Bowling Green Bay National Park south of Townsville.
The Qld Department of Environment (QDE) says the drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles early last month as the environment was damaged.
(Click here for supplied drone footage.)
Senior Conservation Officer Craig Dunk says it is illegal to drive across the saltpans.
“The towing company reported the incident to the department on August 3; one of the vehicles was extracted and the other is still stuck on the saltpan,” he says.
“The maximum penalty for (the) unauthorised use of a vehicle in a protected area is $3226; people who get stuck on saltpans risk their vehicle being written off and a hefty fine.”
Under nature conservation regulations, it is an offence to drive or ride a vehicle into restricted areas.
The saltpans are not an approved or authorised road or track but are part of a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance.
(In March, an identical warning was issued after a bogged vehicle had to be recovered in November 2024: click here to read our story on it.)
‘KEEP 4WDs OUT’ OF SALTPANS
“The advice of rangers is that four-wheel-drive enthusiasts in the Townsville region should find other, legal locations for these activities,” Dunk says.
“Due to environmental conditions, vehicles that are bogged on the saltpans can remain stuck for weeks before an authorised towing company can begin extraction.
“Vehicles that get bogged on the saltpans can be written off by the tides and it can cost thousands to have them retrieved,” Dunk points out.
“We want people to save our saltpans and their vehicles by taking their four-wheel-drives to locations where they can legally drive them.”
Information about approved roads or tracks can be found in ‘maps’ on the QPWS website.
