Shire of Waroona stuck with raw deal as popular DBCA-run campsite ravages council road infrastructure

The popularity of a Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions campsite in the Peel region is wreaking havoc on a council’s road infrastructure.

Sitting along the edge of the western shores of Lake Clifton, Martin’s Tank Campground draws in thousands of campers each year.

But to reach the campsite visitors are forced to traverse several kilometres along Preston Beach Road North, a road crumbling into potholes, thick with dust and washed out with sand traps.

The Shire of Waroona originally designed the road for the four residents living along its journey, but with an influx of more than 300 vehicles a day during peak camping season, the council desperately wants the road upgraded.

A council spokesperson said the shire has tried to get funding from the DBCA and State Government numerous times to upgrade the road, but all of their requests have been declined.

With $900,000 being spent on the campground as part of the 2024-25 State Budget to help the site meet its demand, the shire was hopeful upgrades to the road may be addressed.

A DBCA spokesperson said the funding will be used to expand the existing campground, which is an important tourism initiative that will benefit visitors and the local economy, but a road upgrade was not included.

Shire chief executive Mark Goodlet said it is his expectation the DBCA should be treated similar to any other developer and fund the impacts of the surrounding infrastructure, rather than the ratepayer.

“We know that the corrugated road is a bone shaking problem for the campers, as well as the long suffering very few residents who live at the end of this road,” he said.

“When the camping ground was developed the shire was informed that the traffic impact would be minimal. However, this isn’t the case, with over 90 per cent of the traffic going to the camping ground.”

The DBCA spokesperson said the department has funded the Shire of Waroona to undertake two additional grades of the road each financial year in recognition of the additional traffic it receives since the introduction of camping at Martin’s Tank

But the shire spokesperson said with the onslaught of vehicles attending the campsite, the road often becomes deteriorated only a few hours after being re-graded.

“The Shire of Waroona does not have enough of its own sourced revenue to be able to prevent this, nor increase maintenance levels,” the spokesperson said.

The council also rejected the DBCA’s statement that increasing capacity at the campground would prove economically beneficial for the local community.

“There is no local economic benefit from the campers as they are largely self-contained or get their fuel and supplies at Mandurah before coming to Martin’s Tank,” the spokesperson said.