Victorian Farmers Federations says more detail needed on riverfront camping

But the lobby group says the detail of the rules must be revealed.

The state government announced today it was investigating up to 27 possible camping sites, just weeks before new regulations are set to come into effect on September 1.

Labor made an election promise to open new camping areas alongside rivers in Victoria, but the plan drew received extensive backlash from farmers and sparked a protest at Parliament House earlier this year.

Concerns from landowners ranged from biosecurity to insurance.

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In a statement, the government said it was finalising the new regulations governing recreational use of Crown land river frontages following extensive community consultation, with more than 1100 submissions received.

It said up to 27 sites along the Goulburn, Broken, Ovens, Campaspe, Loddon and Murray Rivers were currently being assessed with hundreds to follow.

"Camping will only take place on suitable sites, with a rigorous assessment process applied to ensure sites will be safe for camping, with environmental and agricultural impacts considered as well as any impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage," it read.

"The final regulations will reflect the expectations of the entire community, providing a fair balance between providing opportunities for recreation while ensuring the environment and Aboriginal cultural heritage are protected and the interests of adjoining landowners and licence holders are considered.

"The public can already lawfully access licensed river frontages for recreation such as fishing, hiking and picnicking."

VFF president Emma Germano said the announcement represented a positive step forward, but farmers were in the dark until further information was released.

"Ensuring camping is only permitted on appropriate sites and agricultural impacts are considered is a step in the right direction and recognises the potential impact of this change on agriculture," she said.

"It's pleasing to see the enormous efforts and hard work of not only farmers, but all impacted stakeholders is beginning to pay off.

"Now we need to see the detail on the actual rules before they begin in a matter of weeks.

"We can't understand and implement what we don't know."

Ms Germano said attention would also turn to ensuring impacted stakeholders were consulted throughout the next steps.

"It's critical license holders are consulted and kept informed as part of the site assessments," she said.

"We look forward to working with the Victorian Government to ensure the agricultural impacts are appropriately considered at each and every one of these sites.