With the winter months gripping most of the country, Instagram feeds are filled with friends and family holidaying up north in the Queensland sun.
Photos of people snorkelling in crystal clear waters, laying beachside, driving across sand or red dirt, and getting their gear off at the nation’s most northern tip – Pajinka, at Frangipani Bay.
Whilst it’s all fun and games for that jet setting away from home, the reality of the tourist trade weighs heavy on local communities.
The cheek of tourists
Torres Strait woman and North Peninsula Area Regional Council Mayor Patricia Yuisa sees the devastation daily, with hundreds of tourists traveling through her community to reach Pajinka.
“We have been inundated with tourists coming up, it’s getting to the point where there is so much disrespect to the Country that we are trying to sustain and care for,” she told NITV News.
“They are disrespecting the car parks and disrespecting the camping areas, disrespecting the significant site cultural significant sites, and also the Country itself - going to the toilet any which way is really, really bad. It's not it's not right.”
“We do the right thing in community, and we would expect the same from everybody.”
One concerning trend that has emerged has been the fluctuation of tourists taking nude photographs at Pajinka.
"I did not know that that was happening, I found out when Elders told me what they had seen," she said.
"It is so disrespectful.
"It is disrespectful to Country, to the community and to the Traditional Owners who do not want people there."
In 2021, Ms Yusia as mayor worked with the surrounding community to put limitations on tourist traffic to Pajinka, however, the issues still remain.
North Peninsula Area Regional Council Mayor Patricia Yusia told NITV News the reality of tourist visiting her shire. Source: Supplied
The Summit
Ms Yusia isn't alone in her worry.
On Thursday, she attended the Indigenous Mayors Summit in Cairns alongside 16 other mayors from various Indigenous Shires and the Queensland Police Service.
The Summit, which is aimed at strengthening the relationship between the Mayors and the police, was Co-Chaired by Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll and Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Wayne Butcher.
Mr Butcher said his community faced its own issues with tourists.
"Lockhart River is about 12 hours drive from Cairns. But you drive up the middle of Cape York and the amount of tourists you use is incredible," he told NITV News.
"They don't understand the local culture, and they are so disrespectful in so many ways.
"All the time we have tourists just rocking up at our outstations or camps asking if they can camp there. I always say why don't I come to your house? camp in your backyard? Would you mind that?"
For both Mr Butcher and Ms Yusia, urgent action is the only way forward.
“We need education for tourists, this needs to be a combined effect from all different organisations, including tourist organisations," said Ms Yusia.
"We have to look at this issue together, we need to take it seriously because all the good things, all the good places we have tried to sustain will be destroyed."
Mr Butcher said that the summit was the perfect opportunity to put the issue in front of the police.
“It’s ironic, they are probably the most challenging department because of our relationship with police and our people over the bloody history of this country – but they’re actually taking a better lead than most departments," he told NITV News.
“They’re good holding a forum that’s structured in this way, leaders from communities can come and speak rather than through a messenger. There is no middle man, just us and them."
"We get the opportunity to build preventative models together, put strategies in place. We get to hear what is going on for communities, and the big one is our issues with tourists."
While Mr Butcher said policing and education are important, any solutions must come from and empower communities.
"These police officers that come to our community, are only our visitors, they'll come and they'll go," he said.
"Yeah, we're gonna be there forever. So, the answers to a lot of our challenges live within our community and need to be supported, whether it's policing, health or whether it's education."
Mayor of Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Wayne Butcher alongside Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll. Source: QLD Police Media
Working together
Torres Strait Islander woman and acting Inspector of the First Nations Multicultural Affairs Unit at the Queensland Police Service Samantha Bliss attended the summit.
Ms Bliss’, who is just shy of 30 years in the force, has dedicated her time in position to “building the cultural capacity of our organisation” and getting more “Black faces in blue uniforms”.
Ms Bliss said that there was “genuine” energy in the room, with each Mayor bringing their concerns forward.
“There are genuine issues in these communities, whilst some perhaps don’t fit under our umbrella, it does give us an opportunity to really support them in getting those agencies who do that specific work onboard, and both assist and advocate for the Mayors of these communities.”
Ms Bliss spoke to NITV News about her understanding of issues with tourists.
“A lot of tourists go up in their communities, whilst it might not be a policing issue. But it is a huge issue,” she said.
“Being a Black woman myself, of course I don’t want people coming onto Country and disrespecting or destroying it.
“Realistically, it's an education piece for these tourists, our Country, these sacred sites, you know, you've got to respect the land there. So, now it’s about understanding what we, as the police, can do.”
The forum bought together Mayors and the Queensland Police Service. Source: QLD Police Media
