Two more people have caused extensive environmental damage after becoming bogged on saltpans in the Bowling Green Bay National Park.
They are the latest people to get bogged on the expansive saltpans and like many others before them, they have had to abandon their vehicles.
Senior Conservation Officer Craig Dunk from the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said it is illegal to drive a vehicle across the saltpans.
"The advice of rangers is that four-wheel-drive enthusiasts in the Townsville region should find other, legal locations for these activities," Mr Dunk said.
"Due to environmental conditions, vehicles that are bogged on the saltpans can remain stuck for weeks before an authorised towing company can begin the extraction process.
"Vehicles that get bogged on the saltpans can be written off by the tides and it can cost thousands to have them retrieved.
"The towing company reported the incident to the department on 3 August 2025, and one of the vehicles has been extracted, and the other is still stuck on the saltpan.
"We want people to save our saltpans and their vehicles by taking their four-wheel-drives to locations where they can legally drive them.
"The maximum penalty for unauthorised use of a vehicle in a protected area is $3,226, and people who get stuck on saltpans risk their vehicle being written off and a hefty fine."
Under the Nature Conservation Regulation, it is an offence to drive or ride a vehicle into restricted sections of a protected area. The saltpans in the Bowling Green Bay National Park are not an approved or authorised road or track.
The saltpans in the Bowling Green Bay National Park are listed under the Ramsar convention on wetlands of international importance.
Information about what roads or tracks are approved can be found in maps on the QPWS website.
