You are so right and that's no Bull. For many years we sent a lot of time in forests and public lands, Sometimes overnight but mostly day picnic trips enjoying the peace and quiet of the bush. No 4 wheel drive necessary. Actually I owned a Mazda RX7, hardly a paddock basher but quite capable of handling mining tracks behind the dunes at the beaches or the fire trails in the forests. Plenty of green grassy, shady spots to choose from
Then along came Bob Carr. Suddenly there were gates across many of the roads we had been using. His idea was that if we wanted to enjoy the bush it was necessary to put on a back pack and hiking boots and leave your car and camp in a small designated area. At the coast the areas behind the dunes became overgrown with bitu bush and lantana. Some of these areas are now making the headlines while there are others that have not done so yet but are primed ready to be the next headline.
Watermelon Carr he was described by many at that time. He was the Bob Brown of NSW. (His antics were almost enough to make me take up swearing again.)
