Beach driving – it’s what every 4X4er dreams of, right? But if you’re a newbie keen to learn how to do it properly without getting bogged or worse, good luck. Government red tape is making it way too hard for experts to teach people how to tackle the sand safely.
In Queensland, the hoops you’ve got to jump through to run a driver training business on a beach are next-level. You need permits to drive on the beach – fair enough – but if you’re a trainer, you’ve got to shell out for special commercial permits. And here’s the kicker: they’re not just one-size-fits-all. You need a different permit for every single beach or park you want to train on. It’s a nightmare, especially for small businesses trying to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, anyone with a 4X4 and a bit of confidence can roll up and hit the sand, no training, no idea, no worries. Sounds fun until they’re bogged to the axles at high tide, or worse, putting themselves and others in danger because they didn’t know what they were doing.
It’s not like this everywhere. In South Australia, for example, beaches are classed as public roads, so the same rules apply as driving on any street. Easy as. But in Queensland? Nah, you’re up against councils, parks departments, and a mountain of paperwork that makes it almost impossible for trainers to do their job.
The end result? Fewer people learning how to handle sand driving properly. And that’s a problem because let’s face it, beaches aren’t forgiving. One wrong move, and you’re stuck, flooded, or in some serious strife.
There’s also the tourism side of things. Imagine international visitors getting a taste of beach driving while learning the ropes from pros. But nope, the red tape’s got that stitched up too. Some trainers have tried to set up these kinds of experiences, only to be hit with months of back-and-forth, permits, and rules that make it more hassle than it’s worth.
The powers-that-be reckon all these rules are necessary to protect the environment and local wildlife, which is fair enough. But surely there’s a way to balance that with letting experienced trainers do their thing? Instead, it feels like a system designed to keep everyone out rather than bring people in and teach them how to do it right.
Some have floated the idea of a license or endorsement for beach driving. But even that would need to avoid becoming just another money-grab without delivering real benefits. At the end of the day, the current system’s leaving beach driving training stuck in the sand. And while the government’s busy ticking boxes, inexperienced drivers are still heading out there unprepared. It’s messy, frustrating, and a bit of a joke, really.
For now, if you want to learn beach driving properly, you’re going to have to dig a bit deeper – figuratively and probably literally. Let’s just hope someone in power sees sense before it all gets too bogged down.
