I had a very large trailer on as I had spent the weekend supporting Sculptures in the Garden at Rosby vineyard and had returned on Monday to pack up. I had spent a year working towards this event which is very beneficial to Mudgee and the causes for which it raises money.  It is my contribution to these charities, especially The Guide Dogs, to place sculptures for sale for which a large commission is deducted as, I am sure you are well aware.

Having packed up at Rosby, it was necessary for me to do a large grocery shopping purchase, as there are no suitable supermarkets between Mudgee and where I live, three and a half hours west of Mudgee. 

I had searched the streets looking for a designated parking place for vehicles with trailers and could not find anywhere that had suitable or marked parking for this situation, unlike Orange, Dubbo and even in the Sydney City suburbs.  

I was aware I was over the line, but there was not enough room for me to straighten such a big trailer.  There was another vehicle with a trailer parked similarly when I had driven in. The car park was not packed, probably as it was a Monday. So I was sure I would not hinder anyone.  For this I was fined $104! 

This is revenue raising unnecessarily and greedily. If I had illegally parked on a street, I could accept this. There did not appear to be any signs in the car park about restrictions and as another vehicle was parked thus, I could only presume that as I was not hindering anyone I could park there and spend my money in your city.

In future, when towing a large trailer, I will by-pass Mudgee and definitely shop elsewhere.  I travel with a large trailer often and find that most towns and cities have designated areas for parking.  We shop in Mudgee often on our way home from Sydney.  

My grocery bill was huge and it was necessary for me to park as near as possible to the shopping centre.  

A search of Mid-Western Regional Council web sites did not reveal any references relating to parking infringements in Mid-Western Regional Council car parks and I am sure I did not see a sign in this regard. It wasn’t possible to find anything on their web site to guide one to a designated parking area for vehicles with trailers either.

I wish to put this letter in your paper as a warning  to others who may be shopping and in a similar situation to me. I advise the Mid-Western Regional Council to organise centrally located parking for vehicles with large trailers and install easy to see signage.