BOAT owners on the southern peninsula say Parks Victoria has a tough new new stance on private moorings.

The authority has taped Directions to Move notices on boats which it identifies as being illegally moored off camping grounds from Safety Beach to Rye.

The notices warn the boats are “illegally installed in a local port without a permit from Parks Victoria and [are] in breach of regulations”.

The owners are told to remove the boats and moorings or risk Parks issuing fines, impounding their boats, or possibly “commencing court proceedings against you”.

Parks began issuing the notices on 24 February and gave owners until 10 March to comply.

Many of the boats are owned by campers who have temporarily moored them off the beach overnight with “rat’s tail” screws into the seabed.

They say the convenient and low-cost moorings free them from adding to congestion at boat ramps.

Ken Thompson, of Dromana, said there was “already enough aggro at launching ramps as it is”.

He said he had taken four campers out fishing and returned to find Parks had attached notices to four boats moored in a long-established private mooring area. The owners had to pull their boats out that evening and find somewhere else to park them.

Mr Thompson said a lack of boat and trailer parking at Tootgarook meant up to 12 trailers were being left in Burdett Street near the primary school.

Cr Antonella Celi said she had asked shire officers to investigate.

“They can ask Parks what’s going on and advocate on behalf of residents,” she said.

Parks was contacted for comment.

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 16 March 2021