Campground booking system will only work if people use it

As the sun began to dip behind Reeds Peak, other campers began to arrive. By nightfall, we were sharing the beach with 17 other tents.

So much for the booking system we thought.

We didn't mind the company - Tasmania has more than enough beauty to share around - but having a booking system that is not compulsory is a bit like putting a sign on the Midland Highway saying "Look, we're not going to enforce it, but it would be appreciated if you could all stay under 110km/h, thanks".

I'm not suggesting that ranger and her colleagues skulk in the Vale of Rasselas undergrowth waiting to leap out on unregistered hikers and personally transport them back to civilisation for punishment.

But it is worth noting that the response to "Do I have to register?" among the frequently asked questions on the "Overnight walker registration" page of the Parks and Wildlife website does not include the word "yes".

Instead, it says registering helps the PWS to preserve the sensitive environment on tracks by limiting the number of walkers to the available campsites.

Which is both true and common sense. But common sense and bushwalking in Tasmania are not always comfortable tent companions.

In an ideal world (which Tasmania largely is), the overnight walker registration system is an excellent concept.

For example, it limits the Western Arthurs Traverse to a maximum daily departure of 12 people. The camp platforms at Lake Oberon and Haven Lake would struggle to accommodate more than that so additional arrivals would either have to push on dangerously beyond the boundaries of physical ability and/or daylight hours or camp on the "sensitive environment" that PWS is trying to protect.

But, like the Midland Highway speed limit, if the system is ignored by the majority of users it is somewhat pointless and merely disadvantages those obeying the rules.

Then there is the ghost camping saga.

The PWS currently manages free campgrounds on a first-in, first-served basis.

However, some campers have taken that to mean get there a month early and claim your spot like holidaying sunbathers bagging poolside loungers with beach towels.

Unsurprisingly, both practises are not particularly popular with others keen to enjoy the same spot.

The ghost camping trend generally occurs at peak times such as Easter, school breaks and long weekends and is particularly prevalent at popular East Coast spots like the Bay of Fires.

Tasmanian National Parks Association president Nick Sawyer told The Examiner in March: "It's an issue that crops up every year and it probably needs to be taken a bit more seriously."

To be fair to Sawyer, PWS finds itself between a lichen-coated granite rock and a hard place.

Most Tasmanians would far rather PWS spends its budget on track improvements, car parks and toilets etc than prosecuting lazy, selfish people.

As things stand, PWS rangers' powers appear to extend only as far as requesting people abusing the system to move on.

Nobody is advocating increasing their authority to Walker, Texas Ranger proportions - although the thought of Chuck Norris patrolling the Overland and South Coast tracks in his trademark black stetson does have a certain appeal.

Also, the booking system has flaws.

Again, Lake Rhona provides a good example. The multi-day walk begins and ends with a crossing of the Gordon River. This can only be done when the water level is down and any significant rainfall while on the western side of the river can make it dangerous or even impossible to get back across.

So the sensible approach is to wait for a three-day fine weather window but this luxury is denied if the recommended two-night excursion is locked in with an inflexible booking.

The Tasmanian Government's answer to all this is to create a free, statewide campsite booking system.

It was detailed among the Liberals' pre-election "Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future" manifesto (their capitals, not mine) along with the comment: "This will make it easier and simpler for Tasmanians and tourists to plan camping trips and book campsites."

The party followed through in April with Parks and Wildlife Minister and former TV fishing guru Nick Duigan announcing that $1.5 million will be invested into a new campground booking app.

There are few modern-day problems that a good app can't fix.

Tasmania has become a victim of its own beauty. Precautions need to be taken to stop Tasmanians and pesky visitors from loving the place to death.

Only time will tell if the app is the answer but what is clear is that it will be guaranteed to fail if - like the current booking system - people ignore it.