Restricted Harvey Dam access after hooning and violence - enthusiasts worried about which spot will be next

The dust has settled on Harvey’s four-wheel-driving scene after the implementation of restricted access to popular tourist site Harvey Dam to recreational vehicles, leaving enthusiasts worried about which of their favourite spots will be next. Drivers visiting the area have faced scrutiny from dam manager Water Corporation after hooning, illegal fires and violence started to occur regularly at the site. A popular spot for visitors and families, Harvey Dam is also one of the town’s most popular areas for four-wheel driving — and the recent closure of the Waroona Dam to vehicles has left few places for the mud-chasing hobbyists to go. 4WD enthusiast Brayden Cresswell said he was worried the closure of the Waroona and Harvey dams to recreational vehicles would lead to closures at other South West spots such as Collie’s Wellington Dam. “It (Harvey Dam) is definitely one of the local spots, but I’ve had conversations with the Water Corporation and their reasoning seems pretty solid,” he said “A lot of it doesn’t get reported down there, there’s a bit of violence against rangers.” “I think for them (Water Corporation) it’s just been a long time coming and they’ve just got to a point where it’s just not feasible to keep cleaning up after people and sending rangers down there to replace signs.” A spokesperson from Water Corporation said the two tracks near the boat ramp are currently closed for public safety reasons, however the Harvey Dam site itself remains open. “Overnight camping and off-road four-wheel driving across Water Corporation and Shire land within the Harvey Dam site are not permitted,” the spokesperson said. Mr Cresswell recently posted a video that went viral in the 4WD community relating to the closure and said he received more than 100 messages sharing in his disappointment. “It’s pretty well known in the community that these people (hoons) do this kind of stuff,” he said. “We’ve obviously had Waroona closed down and now Harvey Dam, the next one will probably be Wellington Dam, hopefully it doesn’t get to that point and people change their attitudes and stop causing drama.”

Restricted Harvey Dam access after hooning and violence - enthusiasts worried about which spot will be next

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian