community, west coast, queenstown, tasmania, phil vickers, peter gutwein, lyell highway, kerry hamer, car graveyard

A graveyard of trashed cars outside Queenstown may not exist if a proposal by a Strahan man had been accepted by government. More than 20 car bodies are dumped in a clearing off the Lyell Highway between Queenstown and Strahan, having been dumped or crashed there by previous owners. Last week, West Coast Council mayor Phil Vickers said it was concerning so many people were trashing and dumping cars, but council was not prepared to use ratepayers' money to properly dispose of the vehicles. And the Parks and Wildlife Service, which manages the Crown land which the cars are dumped on, said the practice was illegal. "Vehicles are removed from the site on a periodic basis but we remain concerned about this illegal activity and are investigating what else can be done to prevent cars being dumped in the first place," a spokesperson said. "Considerable effort has been undertaken by PWS to reduce illegal dumping at this site, including installation of signs and barriers." However, Kerry Hamer, 75, approached the West Coast Council in 2018 with what may have been a solution to the "bloody ridiculous" problem. Mr Hamer owned a towing business based in Strahan and for about 40 years would collect cars crashed and dumped on the West Coast, stockpiling them in his own yard before a scrap metal merchant could take them away. In 2018 he proposed leasing a gravel pit at Strahan from the council to continue stockpiling the trashed vehicles, so he could discontinue using his own residential property. "I'm in the fire brigade and, you know, I worry about cars being a fire hazard... setting the scrub on fire," Mr Hamer said. "I was doing a service to everybody. It's a liability." However, the land Mr Hamer proposed to use, a gravel pit, was being leased by the council from the state government. Cr Vickers said he supported Mr Hamer's proposal, but the state told the council to rehabilitate the land before leasing it to Mr Hamer. Mr Hamer proposed use of the site as it was already clear of vegetation. "If commonsense would have prevailed, god help us... I think his proposal could work," Cr Vickers said. In a letter provided to The Advocate, minister for Crown Land Peter Gutwein wrote to Mr Hamer in August and said the PWS "finds merit" in his proposal, but would not lease him the land. The PWS has been contacted for further comment. While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates and daily headlines direct to your inbox? Sign up here.

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