Vans and tents are returning to Midway Point - between Preservation Bay and Sulphur Creek - as the reserve reopens after clearing everyone out to remediate the area and bring in tougher rules. Campers will be able to stay for three days in a 14-day consecutive period and rangers will police the area to make sure that is being adhered to. However, locals are already reporting some campers are overstaying the new rules already but did confirm council workers had been patrolling. Vans must also be self-contained meaning they take their grey water and sewerage with them to dump later at a designated point. At its November meeting, the council resolved to make a by-law for the regulation of camping and caravans on land owned by or under the control of the council. The resolution and the draft documents (Caravans and Camping By-law No 1 of 2023 and the associated Regulatory Impact Statement) will be sent to the director of local government for certification under section 156A(6) of the Local Government Act 1993. The Midway Point reserve was closed due to damage to the environment, hygiene issues and other problems as tents, camper vans and mobile homes jostled for room last summer. Several campers were made homeless by the decision and the council stepped in to help them find other places to live. "There is an increasing trend throughout Australia and the Central Coast for people with mobile homes, camper vans and caravans to seek out and use roadsides, reserves and foreshore areas for camping," the council's agenda said. "This presents both an increasing opportunity and risk to the council. "Camping must be controlled to balance the protection of the natural values of our reserves and foreshore areas, and the potential incompatibility of camping with other uses. "The council must balance the needs of the community and ensure that camping on council-controlled land is done in a way that is socially, economically, and environmentally responsible. Unregulated camping is impossible to manage without the power to prohibit camping in other than designated areas."