Coastal driving

Plan­ning to dri­ve on the beach on your next park adven­ture? Know­ing before you go helps pro­tect our coast­line, wildlife and cul­tur­al places.

With more vehi­cles on our beach­es, the impacts can add up — from dis­turb­ing wildlife and dam­ag­ing veg­e­ta­tion to harm­ing frag­ile dunes and cul­tur­al her­itage sites. By dri­ving respon­si­bly, we can strike a bal­ance between enjoy­ing the coast and look­ing after it for the future.

Before you head off, keep these sim­ple tips in mind, guid­ed by the Coastal Dri­ving Code of Prac­tice:

1. Be pre­pared – research where you’re going, check con­di­tions, and under­stand the rules before you arrive.
2. Fol­low local rules and guide­lines to reduce your impact on the envi­ron­ment and heritage.
3. Dri­ve to the con­di­tions and look out for oth­er beach users to keep every­one safe.
4. Know your vehi­cle – under­stand its lim­its and how to use its safe­ty fea­tures in coastal conditions.
5. Be con­sid­er­ate of oth­ers and how your dri­ving affects their beach experience.
6. Remem­ber the law applies – fines can apply if you do the wrong thing in coastal areas.

To learn more, you can check out the detailed Coastal Dri­ving Code of Prac­tice on the Depart­ment for Envi­ron­ment and Water’s web­site here.