Try explaining that to a 10-year-old.

That’s what Judy Wykes had to do when her grand-daughter asked what a couple of eager backpackers were up to in the back of a van that was parked outside her front yard.

And over-fraternisation wasn’t all she had to put up with when vans and tents started popping up at the end of her street.

After Dubbo City Council was alerted to the situation it told the property owners that the travelling fruit pickers, who had been camping in the front yard for free, were to be gone by today.

As many as 50 backpackers employed by Rural Management Solutions had camped for free in vans or tents in the front yard of 28 Muller Street while up to 10 others rented the two-bedroom house.

Council first became aware of the situation on 26th February after complaints from the community, but Ms Wykes said “we’ve been put through hell since Christmas”.

Beer bottles, stray clothes, night-long parties and smells wafting from a port-a-loo were just too much for long-time Muller Street residents.

“I don’t see why we should have to put up with that after I’ve lived here for 30-odd-years,” Ms Wykes said.

Bronwyn Yeoman said her two-year-old child couldn’t get to sleep for the noise of the late-night parties and she was “sick of picking up beer bottles and dirty knickers” along the street.

She said “it was a pretty quiet street before” but now the neighbourhood was “just really intimidated”.

Council’s Planning Services Supervisor Steven Jennings said they received two complaints based on land use activity, noise and unhealthy living conditions.

Mr Jennings said the property owners were in breech of land use law, which did not permit any level of short stay tourist accommodation on the land.

“Council is of the understanding from the owner of the land that the operation is purely a commercial one,” he said.

“Council officers have been in consultation with the owners of the land (who) have given to council an undertaking that the land use activity will cease today.”