Walks with safe parking

[Drifting]

Based on the couple of threads on cars being broken into or vandalized, I was wondering if people could suggest extended walks with safe parking.

I could only come up with a few:

-Walks starting at Cradle Mountain NP
-Walks starting at Lake St Clair NP
-Walks in Freycinet NP, though I have been warned by people in a position to know that the Friendly Beaches is unpatrolled.

I don't know enough about Mt Field to know if it'd be safe or not.

Where else?

[Michael_Kingston]

People do get broken into at bushwalking carparks but they also get broken into in cities. Anyone who has ever lived in North Hobart would know it is a part of life if you live there and don't have off street parking. In my experience it is just not worth worrying about you might as well spend your whole walk stressing that your home will be broken into while away.

if you are really worried, just make sure you have insurance and you don't leave anything valuable in the car (or at least put it in the boot if you have to). Make sure you don't leave sunglass cases, change or anything at all tempting in view. Use a steering wheel lock as well if you have an older model car that might be easier to hotwire.

The other approach, which a friend of mine has used for years - he drives a mid 1980s Mazda wagon - is to leave the car unlocked, disable the car (eg. remove and hide the distributor cap) and leave nothing behind. He has never had any damage, although he has come back to find the glove box open etc. Not necessarily an option for everyone, but it works for him.

[Drifting]

Yeah- I'm almost tempted to buy an old banger in the future for this reason-

The point is, once you've paid your deductible ($300), dealt with the hassle of being down a car while it's getting fixed and then faced losing my no-claims bonue on my insurance, it's pretty costly. Most people just can't afford that sort of thing- I sure can't.

[ronin]

I asked a similar question also, and it's true that it could happen anywhere, so i try not to dwell on it, leave nothing of value and leave consol/glovebox open.
But i'm still umming and ahhing whether to leave a sign informing potential ****wits that there's nothing of value, or, to leave the car unlocked but dissabled.

[Joel]

I wouldn't be so sure about Cradle Mt or Freycinet. I've worked in both of these parks and I can assure you that things do get stolen. As an example we have had a canoe paddle stolen from the lodge (which I later found in the hut near the Vale River), a $12,000 motorbike was stolen about a month ago, a business up here was broken into last month and money taken from the safe, a Myrtle Beech bowl was stolen..........so on, so on.
I've lost faith in humanity.

[Drifting]

I asked a similar question also, and it's true that it could happen anywhere, so i try not to dwell on it, leave nothing of value and leave consol/glovebox open.
But i'm still umming and ahhing whether to leave a sign informing potential ****wits that there's nothing of value, or, to leave the car unlocked but dissabled.

I'd check with your insurance- if you leave the car unlocked but disabled, it might not be covered by insurance. For instance, if they stripped parts from the inside or something like that, your insurance could be voided.

[Dutchy]

I've parked at most of the spots mentioned before, anywhere between 2 and 7 days (9 days for The Arthurs in the South West), no trouble so far. As said, leave nothing in sight, glove box and other closed compartments open so they can see you have left the car empty. A note might help too. Don't leave your car open in my opinion, some people might not steal anything but just enjoy trashing it (and as someone mentioned before, you won't be covered by insurance). Your no-claim shouldn't be affected as it is damage by a third party, just get a police report. Worrying won't help, just take precautions and enjoy your walk!

[Drifting]

Dutchy- with great respect, I must disagree. I'm a (retired) solicitor and my wife used to be an insurance broker- we both have a bit of experience with these things. I'd call your insurer before leaving the car unlocked!

[ronin]

Dutchy may have a point regarding leaving the car unlocked, it might be just tooo much of an invitation to trash it, so regarding an insurance issue... for me it's a moot point in that i'll lock it anyway.

[flyfisher]

May be a misread re dutchy and leaving car open.

He says ( I think) leave glovebox console etc. open but not the car itself.

ff

[Drifting]

May be a misread re dutchy and leaving car open.

He says ( I think) leave glovebox console etc. open but not the car itself.

ff

I wasn't sure what he was saying, and definitely do not want to offend in any circumstance!

I'm not sure on the point, regardless- but a quick call to your insurer, WITH A RECORDING of the date, time and person you spoke to, would resolve it. Personally, I'd be tempted to leave my car open to avoid broken windows, but then it sounds like they are doing that just for fun anyhow.

I spoke to the Mole Creek Visitor Centre today, and the gentleman there told me that he hadn't heard of problems at Lee's Paddocks, but that there had been some break-ins at the Caves up that way, that, as he said "had just recently been resolved." So maybe they caught the buggers!

[Binder]

No reported problems with vehicle break ins at Mt Field in the last year that we (parks) have heard of, BUT we did have a new, large touch screen info station stolen from the front wall of the visitor centre. Before we replaced it we installed security cameras pointing at the new touch screen, only to have one of the cameras stolen....

Cheers

Binder

[PeterJ]

No reported problems with vehicle break ins at Mt Field in the last year that we (parks) have heard of, BUT we did have a new, large touch screen info station stolen from the front wall of the visitor centre. Before we replaced it we installed security cameras pointing at the new touch screen, only to have one of the cameras stolen....

Sounds like you need a camera on a high perch that keeps check on the other cameras.

A few years ago there was an incident where a new firebox was put in the Govt huts and promptly stolen. Someone booked the huts then cancelled late so that they were empty. Culprit was caught I think.

[stepbystep]

I've seen quite a few bits of broken glass at Myrtle Forest carpark(Collinsvale), and lots of damage at the picnic area.
I wouldn't want to leave my car there at night, especially Fri/Sat. I think it's the local bogans 'having fun'.

[ronin]

I've seen quite a few bits of broken glass at Myrtle Forest carpark(Collinsvale), and lots of damage at the picnic area.
I wouldn't want to leave my car there at night, especially Fri/Sat. I think it's the local bogans 'having fun'.

Oh my!! In the last month i've been hiking out there 3 times, luckily incident free so far (touch wood).
Man, if i witness anything, look out!! These people make me sick!

[stepbystep]

Oh my!! In the last month i've been hiking out there 3 times, luckily incident free so far (touch wood).
Man, if i witness anything, look out!! These people make me sick!

I've done several daywalks from there with no dramas, I'm sure it is hoons at night, there's always been beer bottles etc with them.

[Drifting]

People caught committing these crimes should be made to carry my pack for me on the Western Arthurs. In absolute silence.

[Dutchy]

Hi,
To make my earlier post clearer...... Lock your car preventing someone to just trash it on the inside for fun (no signs of break in will make your insurer happy if you try to claim the damage!) but leave all normally closed compartments like glove box and other storage compartments OPEN! It just shows you're vigilant! Hope that helps!

[PeterJ]

I've seen quite a few bits of broken glass at Myrtle Forest carpark(Collinsvale), and lots of damage at the picnic area.

Not as bad there since the gate was moved back along the road. Soon after the picnic shelter was upgraded and new toilet installed, vandals struck, but was there last Tuesday and all looked fine.

[mpe]

Anyone got good intel on how safe the parking for the Arm River track is? We're thinking of doing it in Feb, but will have a car with gear in it (coming from interstate), and would hate to have it broken into

[tasadam]

Anyone got good intel on how safe the parking for the Arm River track is? We're thinking of doing it in Feb, but will have a car with gear in it (coming from interstate), and would hate to have it broken into

3 things
1. It's always possible, but one would hope it would be ok.
2. It's not worth worrying about when you're out walking, because you won't be enjoying your walk.
3. This is a public forum, so the detail in your last post is available to anyone on the internet, you might like perhaps consider finding a location other than your vehicle for the storage of gear. The "damage" is done now that you have mentioned it, the world will know that there will be "gear" whatever that happens to be, in February, at the Arm River track. One would hope the world is not that malicious, but...

I would not recommend leaving "gear" in a vehicle at the start of any walk.

[PeterJ]

............ how safe the parking for the Arm River track is? ....)

I have used the car park on quite a number of occasions and haven't seen any evidence of break-ins. It is quite a bit longer on a rough road, than of the problem areas, so the returns against cost may deter on-spec visits from those less than desirable people that we could without.

[Drifting]

There was a fair bit of broken glass in Tasman NP car parks this weekend

[PeterJ]

There was a fair bit of broken glass in Tasman NP car parks this weekend

i would be interested to know which particular car parks?

[Drifting]

At the Devil's Kitchen Carpark, and the one next to the Waterfall Bay campsite carpark.

[leithel]

I had heard there areplent of break ins at the Walls Of Jerusalem car park on Mersey Forest Rd. Took our car over to Tassie on the ferry for 3 weeks from Melbs. Given we were hiking, camping and fishing for 3 weeks, we had quite a bit of gear in our car and I was really paranoid about leaving the car in the carpark for 3 days. I ended up renting an old bomb from a local in Chudleigh and left my car(and all my valuable equipment) locked up in his shed. He charged me $120 for the bomb.............and it was a real bomb!

[flyfisher]

Cheap insurance...

[whiskeylover]

Just to mention on the insurance aspect. Yes, you may be able to claim on insurance but you will have to pay the $300 or so excess, unless the police find the culprits. I have twice had damage to my car in urban areas where the culprits were not found and I had to pay the excess. This would particularly be important to know if you are driving a hire car as the excess on some of them can be quite 'excessive'! Some people choose a higher excess in order to reduce the hire premium.

I agree with some others, that it is best to just be sensible with what is visible in your vehicle. Often the culprits are only looking for cash - I have seen expensive camera gear, wine and expensive bushwalking gear ($300 jackets etc) all left behind by the thieves, but they have opened and trashed everything in the hope of finding cash or easily saleable small items like GPS, phone etc.

Some car parks obviously have a long reputation of problems - broken glass is a clue. The Walls, Frenchmans and a few others are ones where I am careful on the positioning of my car too, as these people seem to target cars they can hide behind so as not to get caught if someone stumbles out of the bush suddenly.

[WarrenH]

I've been on the receiving end a few times of thefts and vandalism in the bush. I just put it down to being a numbers game. The more I go out into the bush ... the more likely I'll be a victim. I almost always travel with a mountain bike so I'm expecting the worst.

On the Turon Goldfields, I had two tyres let down. On the Frost Plains of the North, in the Bimberi Wilderness I had all 4 tyres let down, then at another time at Caves Creek, one of the rear tail lights on the Cruiser was stolen, then tow bar accessories were stolen along with the tow bar and just recently I found a huge rock inside my Volvo wagon and my mountain bike was gone. The thieves must have dismantled the bike inside the wagon to get it out.

Now I have more New York grade D locks and more New York grade padded armoured chains and secure hard points fitted to the floor inside of the wagon and maximum insurance coverage on everything ... and a new mountain bike.

Visiting the bush has been an expensive journey over the last 30 years ... but a journey I wouldn't have missed for quids. The increased security I now have, is a requirement from Real Insurance, and definitely protects me from the honest people in the bush. Thieves are not just the ultimate opportunists, some are very determined ... the security I have, to them means absolutely nothing.

The reality is, there are no safe carparks even in the remotest of places. In fact the most remote places are the worst I've found.

Warren.

[Taurë-rana]

Nowhere's safe, I had my car stolen and burnt after leaving it in the Recreation Centre car park while playing squash.