Bartlett feels heat over Bay of Fires park plan

Locals have reacted with hostility to Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett's plan to create a national park in the Bay of Fires area on the state's east coast.

Mr Bartlett unveiled the park boundaries several weeks ago but locals now say his proposal is irrational because it does not contain the most popular coastline in the area, Binnalong Bay.

"The Bay of Fires is the connection with the water, that makes it a bay. What they've nominated here for a national park is the hinterland behind, which just seems a little strange to me," one local man said.

Another local pointed out that the new Bay of Fires National Park will not include the majority of the Bay of Fires coastal area.

Local tourism operators, Aborigines and Green groups say the decision makes no sense. But that is where the agreement stops.

Todd Dudley, the leader of the local green group, says he wants the entire area turned into a national park.

"There needs to be more regulation of the camping areas, and making it a national park along with the other areas all under the one conservation tenure, it makes land management easier," he said.

"Unfortunately if you promote an area and Valentino Shoes want more and more people to come there, you're going to have to have some kind of regulation and limits on how many people can camp there at any one time."

Mr Bartlett said he left the popular coastal strip out of the national park so locals in Valentino Sale the small coastal town of Binnalong Bay could still walk their dogs on the beach.

Ratepayers Association president and Binnalong Bay local John Lambert says he Valentino Shoes Sale supports the Premier's decision.

"I like to walk my dog along the beach, I think my dog likes it probably more than I do, but the fact is I think there's a lot of other people who like to do that as well," he said.

"I don't believe that part can be national park anyway because there's too many houses in the vicinity. To make it a national park it would just be too awkward."

At a local pub the reaction is largely sceptical.

"Every national park now has got a resort in it, hasn't it? So it's not actually being reserved for anything, is it?" said one man.

Many of the tourists who come to the Bay of Fires camp on the beach, however, many of the beaches contain Aboriginal midden sites and burial grounds.

The chairman of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, Clive Mansell, says he is angry that tourists are planting their caravans on his cultural heritage.

"We know that people already have camped on midden sites along the coastline, it's totally uncontrolled," he said.

"The damage is immense and if the Government doesn't do something quickly, then the whole connection's going to be destroyed."

Mr Mansell says the Aboriginal community wants the area handed back.

"It's quite ironic that the name the Bay of Fires stems from the sighting of all the fires of the traditional people and now what's happening in terms of the Government is they're just ignoring the Aboriginal community and what we want to achieve here," he said.

The Bay of Fires was just a quiet Tasmanian holiday spot until the Lonely Planet guide book named it as one of the world's "hottest" destinations in 2009.

Since then tourism has boomed, much to the delight of Peter Paulsen, who heads the local Tourism Association.

However, Mr Paulsen is less thrilled about the idea of a national park.

"Having a national park in the backyard seemed like an exciting idea until you actually drill down and look at the detail," he said.

"Ultimately what www.valentinovip.com/ we have now is two existing reserves which have been re-badged as a national park.

"I think that's kind of lazy and just doesn't provide the protection that was promised."

Tasmania is in the middle of a state election campaign and Labor will have to win back majority government to set up its national park, sparking speculation it will become a major election issue.

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