In 2018, the state government committed to guaranteeing access to fishing and camping on Crown land river frontages.

It amended the 1958 Land Act to remove the prohibition of camping on about 30,000 kilometres of Crown land river frontages and Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning officials are now putting up signage at many of the 121 sites already identified.

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Gippsland farmer and veterinarian Angus McKinnon launched a petition calling on the Upper House to stop camping on Crown leases or modify the Land Act amendment to require landholder approval.

Mr McKinnon, who runs cattle on a property on the Macalister River, near Licola, said it appeared the DELWP was open to negotiation on the planned sites.

"There are sites that are now officially open, like ours, but there is nobody there yet, because it's literally grass, mud and water," he said.

The site chosen was upstream from Lake Glenmaggie and near the Cheynes Bridge site, on a very broad river front that ran for 200 metres from the Macalister to Licola Road.

"It's one of the very few places where lease country reaches a road and which gives people access to the river," he said.

But he said he moved up to 200 head of cattle through the area, five or six times a year.

"It's a main thoroughfare for us and I've explained that to them [the DELWP] - they are doing their best to redraw boundaries," he said.

He said the DELWP was "trying to be helpful, which is good and probably better than I expected".

"The positives are people have access to camping, the negatives are that it's going to be very difficult to police and keep people in the right place.

"The other positive is the DELWP have been very much wanting to talk to people, to try and work out where a good balance exists between what we are thinking and what they are thinking."

He said he was concerned the DELWP had been forced into implementing the program "very, very quickly".

"They can't find enough sites to cater for requirements, so they are taking sites that are sub-optimum from a safety point of view," he said.

But others say they're baffled by the DELWP opening up campsites right next to existing reserves, some of which have permanent facilities.

Kiewa Valley dairy farmer Stuart Crosthwaite will have three sites on the Kiewa River, where it runs through his farm.

All were close to the Boyds Bridge Reserve where camping was allowed.

"Not exaggerating, less than 100 metres way is an already established camping spot and reserve - the question is why do we need other ones?." Mr Crosthwaite said.

About ten months ago he implemented his own biosecurity plan, after taking part in two Agriculture Victoria webinars.

"They bang on about putting in a biosecurity plan, and that you need to be able to control and monitor livestock movement, people and vehicles, on and off your farm.

"If I have three campsites, and people have free access, how am I meant to maintain a biosecurity plan with any integrity?"

He was also concerned about maintaining a safe workplace for his four permanent staff

"On the flipside, how do I protect the campers, if I don't know they are there," he said.

He was happy to acknowledge the leases were public land.

"Over the last 150 years we have cared for it, we have fenced it all off, we have invested in water troughs, we have revegetated it, maintained it for weeds and pests and we now see a really clean riverbank," he said

"It just seems ridiculous when we have put all in that hard work - I just think it is pretty disrespectful."

He said the family currently let "heaps of people" onto the property.

"But I can control where they are camping, I can a get a log of who they are and where they are and I can put them through my risk assessment for biosecurity and protect them against the risks on the farm."

Mitta North farmer Judy Cardwell said she believed there could be eight sites designated on a short stretch of the Mitta River near her.

"Who knows where they are going to stop?," Ms Cardwell said.

"People are getting very angry about the way it was done - there was little consultation, they just marched in and put the signs up."

She believed some of the sites were "very poorly chosen" as they were not readily accessible.

"Some of the roads don't even have parking and three of the ones I know of are designated over irrigation bays - which is not very practical for farming," she said.

Ms Cardwell said she'd still like to see the program completely scrapped.

"The DELWP has many, many sites of public land they could properly develop and manage along the rivers, but they are poorly maintained," she said..

"Farmers, on the whole, keep their land in a good, well-grazed, free of weeds situation so of course that's appealing to campers."

A DELWP spokesperson said further areas were being assessed along Victorian river systems for inclusion in the program, which will be added progressively.

"All potential campsites are subject to a thorough and consistent assessment process, to ensure important cultural, environmental, public safety and other regulatory matters are considered at each site," the spokesperson said.

"DELWP staff are installing signage at the sites, which provide relevant information for campers and visitors such as where you can camp, what rules apply, as well as safety and hazard information."

Victorian Fisheries Authority operates a 24-hour hotline 13FISH for reporting misconduct and continues to work together with the DELWP and Parks Victoria to enforce the regulations.

Further information, including the locations of the camping areas can be found here - Camping on licensed Crown water frontages (forestsandreserves.vic.gov.au)