Shellharbour City Council Regulation Officers will be conducting regular patrols at Bass Point Reserve, Shellharbour Village, Reddall Reserve and the entire city foreshore over the Easter long weekend and school holiday period.

Both Bass Point and Reddall Reserve will be inspected each morning and evening to determine whether any potential campers are present. Camping is not permitted and fines may apply.

Officers will also be ensuring that visitors to the city comply with parking regulations. The Department of Fisheries will also be conducting regular patrols at Lake Illawarra and the city’s beaches.

Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer advised people to pay attention to signage along the city’s foreshore, particularly related to parking.

“As is the case every Easter long weekend, we anticipate that our city’s foreshore will be popular with locals and visitors to our area,” Mayor Homer said.

“We want to ensure our reserves are protected, respected and can be enjoyed by all users. We need to carefully balance the large number of visitors expected with the protection of our open spaces,” he said.

He added that illegally parked cars also made access difficult for emergency services vehicles and evacuations. 

Visitors to Bass Point Reserve are reminded that off-road four-wheel-driving is prohibited in all parts of the reserve and that the designated roads within the reserve are gravel roads.

Driving must be confined to designated roads within the reserve and drivers should drive to the road conditions, particularly in wet weather.

•    For issues relating to illegal camping, parking, litter etc., contact Shellharbour City Council on 4221 6111.

•    For issues regarding bag limits and over-fishing, contact the Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Compliance team on 1800 043 536 (Fishers Watch). For online reporting of illegal fishing visit: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/compliance/report-illegal-activity 

•    For issues relating to trail bikes, anti-social and criminal behaviour, contact Lake Illawarra Police on 4232 5599 or 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/cs.aspx 

Media queries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008.