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The NSW government has announced it is accelerating the sale and closure of Crown roads (sometimes known as paper roads) which provide access to many recreational fishing locations. To do this they are changing some of the processes which publicise such sales and allow proper consultation with stakeholders. Please spend 5 minutes reading this so you understand how this urgent problem might affect your future fishing. At the end of this bulletin there are some suggestions on what you can do to stop this from going ahead.
What are ‘Crown roads’?
Crown roads (also known as ‘paper roads’) are unformed public roads owned by the Crown that are bounded by private freehold land, mainly farms, and provide anglers and other users with legal access to waterways. These Crown roads are often just tracks, sometimes not in use and not even visible. Even if they are visible they are sometimes blocked by fences and illegal ‘no trespass’ signs. It can be difficult to know where they are unless you check maps at your local Crown Lands office.
Are there Crown roads in your area?
Yes, definitely. In NSW there are tens of thousands of Crown roads that criss-cross the countryside, providing access to waterways, public reserves and areas of Crown land. You may already be using these Crown roads to access your favourite fishing spots. There are probably numerous other Crown roads that you could also be legally using if you only knew where they are. The government is converting Crown roads to ‘freehold’, i.e. private ownership Many of these old Crown roads are not used by public vehicles these days, so some adjoining landowners like to legally make them part of their properties. This also suits the NSW government, which can sell these Crown roads to a landholder and receive the money. However a significant number of these Crown roads provide freshwater anglers with convenient and legal access to waterways.
To read more about this plight visit the Council of Freshwater Anglers Facebook page here.
