Main Roads WA cops criticism after rest stop near Albany bulldozed
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The West Australian roads authority has drawn fire for bulldozing and closing off a rest stop that illegal campers used as a dumping ground.
The Marbelup rest stop, about halfway between Albany and Denmark on the south coast, was left looking like a landfill site after the recent school holidays due to illegal campers and dumping.
Rubbish left in the area included piles of razors, food waste and an excrement-filled portable toilet.
Main Roads WA, which manages the South Coast Highway and its rest stops, initially suggested people misusing the rest area would be tracked down and fined.
But travellers in the area this week found the rest stop had been bulldozed and all access had been blocked.
Main Roads Great Southern regional director Andrew Duffield said ongoing misuse of the site and limited resources led to the closure.
"The decision there was based on our inability to be able to control people doing all the things it was suggested they were doing in there," he said.
"We've had a bit of a history of people trashing that site—there are no bins there and people are just using it as a dump site."
Mr Duffield said the department had been reviewing rest stops on the network and chose to revegetate the site due to its proximity to the City of Albany.
"People could come into Albany if they're heading this way. We don't see that as a fatigue risk," he said.
The Marbelup rest area is the third stop in the south-west that Main Roads has closed in the past two years. However Mr Duffield said the department was reinvesting resources in the improvment of other rest stops on the network.
Since January 2023, Main Roads has built 11 rest areas, upgraded 13 and closed nine across the WA network.
'Huge impact'
The closure has angered some road users, including the Australian Caravan Club, which said the decision was "disappointing" and posed safety issues for all road users.
Deputy chair Tom Smith said alternative management options should have been explored before the site was closed.
"Quite a high percentage of our members prefer to use these facilities when they're travelling to save money," he said.
"It's not the RV or the caravan that creates the mess, because a lot of them have got their facilities on board.
"It's other people who do it and you just shake your head sometimes when you see these pigsties."
Mr Smith said regardless of its proximity to town, the closure posed a safety risk.
"Fatigue management is very important to people, especially as you get older, not just for the grey nomads but for anybody driving on the road," he said.
Short supply
Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said the closure of the rest area highlighted a worrying trend.
"There's actually not enough of them as it is across the state," he said.
"We need those rest areas so the drivers can pull in, [and] have their fatigue brakes, which [they] are legally mandated to do. So losing rest areas when we've already got a shortage is certainly a major impact."
Mr Dumesny said the federation and Livestock and Rural Transport Association had lobbied the government to develop and upgrade heavy vehicle rest areas across the state.
"We all want these rest areas when driving a car or a caravan or a truck," he said.
"We've all got a social responsibility, like a barbecue at a community park — we use it, we clean it afterwards so that the next person can use it.
"That element seems to be missing."
Written by Andrew Chounding, Andrew Collins, ABC News.
The Marbelup rest stop, about halfway between Albany and Denmark on the south coast, was left looking like a landfill site after the recent school holidays due to illegal campers and dumping.
Main Roads said the rest stop had become too difficult to manage. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)
Rubbish left in the area included piles of razors, food waste and an excrement-filled portable toilet.
Main Roads WA, which manages the South Coast Highway and its rest stops, initially suggested people misusing the rest area would be tracked down and fined.
But travellers in the area this week found the rest stop had been bulldozed and all access had been blocked.
The former rest area has been bulldozed and fenced off. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)
Main Roads Great Southern regional director Andrew Duffield said ongoing misuse of the site and limited resources led to the closure.
"The decision there was based on our inability to be able to control people doing all the things it was suggested they were doing in there," he said.
"We've had a bit of a history of people trashing that site—there are no bins there and people are just using it as a dump site."
Mr Duffield said the department had been reviewing rest stops on the network and chose to revegetate the site due to its proximity to the City of Albany.
"People could come into Albany if they're heading this way. We don't see that as a fatigue risk," he said.
The Marbelup rest area is the third stop in the south-west that Main Roads has closed in the past two years. However Mr Duffield said the department was reinvesting resources in the improvment of other rest stops on the network.
Since January 2023, Main Roads has built 11 rest areas, upgraded 13 and closed nine across the WA network.
'Huge impact'
The closure has angered some road users, including the Australian Caravan Club, which said the decision was "disappointing" and posed safety issues for all road users.
Deputy chair Tom Smith said alternative management options should have been explored before the site was closed.
"Quite a high percentage of our members prefer to use these facilities when they're travelling to save money," he said.
"It's not the RV or the caravan that creates the mess, because a lot of them have got their facilities on board.
"It's other people who do it and you just shake your head sometimes when you see these pigsties."
Mr Smith said regardless of its proximity to town, the closure posed a safety risk.
"Fatigue management is very important to people, especially as you get older, not just for the grey nomads but for anybody driving on the road," he said.
Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said the closure of the rest area highlighted a worrying trend.
"There's actually not enough of them as it is across the state," he said.
"We need those rest areas so the drivers can pull in, [and] have their fatigue brakes, which [they] are legally mandated to do. So losing rest areas when we've already got a shortage is certainly a major impact."
Rough surface signs are dotted along the South Coast highway to warn drivers of the poor road condition. (ABC News: Andrew Chounding)
Mr Dumesny said the federation and Livestock and Rural Transport Association had lobbied the government to develop and upgrade heavy vehicle rest areas across the state.
"We all want these rest areas when driving a car or a caravan or a truck," he said.
"We've all got a social responsibility, like a barbecue at a community park — we use it, we clean it afterwards so that the next person can use it.
"That element seems to be missing."
Written by Andrew Chounding, Andrew Collins, ABC News.
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