Free camping in Queensland.

What free camping means in Queensland

There is no single legal category called free camping in Queensland. When people search for it, they usually mean a national park or forest campsite, a stop beside the road, or a council-run site for travellers. Each has a different manager and different rules, so the first job is to work out who looks after the land.

• National parks, state forests and recreation areas are managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and the camping permit rules cover all of them.6
• Rest areas on state roads are for managing fatigue, with a stay limit that depends on the sign.3
• Streets, parks and reserves in a town fall under the local council and its local laws.74

We do not say that any single place is free to camp. Where we write that a land manager charges nothing, that is the manager’s own statement, and we say whose and when we read it. Fees and rules are set by the land manager, and they change. Where our own data records no fee for a place, the place page says so and shows where that came from. Where a source does not say, we say that it does not.

Camping in national parks and state forests

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) says you must book and pay for a camping permit before you arrive at a camping area, and that this applies to all camping in the state’s parks and forests.21 We did not find a page that says camping is free in a Queensland state forest. The fee page lists state forests, forest reserves, national parks and recreation areas together.2

• Fees. The page lists $7.75 per person per night, or $31.00 per family per night, from 1 July, and was last updated on 1 July 2026. QPWS says fees rise slightly in July or August each year, so check the page when you book. A family is one or two adults with children under 18, up to eight people, and children under five camp for free. Prices include GST.21
• Booking. Most bookings are made online through the Queensland National Parks Booking Service, and the permit is emailed to you. Bookings open up to 12 months ahead.2
• How long. For most camping areas the maximum stay is 29 nights, but it varies by location. Check in is after 2 pm and check out is by 11 am.1
• Your tag. Display your camping tag on your tent, vehicle dashboard or other camping equipment, where rangers can see it. You must arrive within 24 hours of your booking starting, and you cannot leave the site unattended for more than 24 hours without a reasonable excuse.26
• Bush camping. It is allowed in some parks, with few or no facilities. Bush campers must camp well away from streams, lakes, walking tracks and picnic areas.8
• The basics. Camping areas in parks and forests do not have electricity.8 Where there is no toilet, bury human waste at least 50 cm deep and at least 50 metres from lakes, watercourses, tracks, campsites and public facilities. Drones are prohibited in camping areas, and pets are not allowed in national parks.6

Each park also has an alerts page. Check it for the park you are heading to, as it can change what is allowed.

Rest areas

The Queensland Government’s rest areas page says there are just over 450 rest areas on Queensland roads, in three types: motorist rest areas, heavy vehicle rest areas, and combined areas with separate spaces for trucks and for other vehicles.3

• Stay limit. General and recreational vehicles can stop for up to 20 hours unless signed otherwise. The page says rest areas are not camping sites or an accommodation option.3
• Heavy vehicle areas. These are for trucks. The page says they should not be used by other motorists, or to stop and camp, and that fines may apply if you are not driving a commercial or heavy vehicle.3
• Which sign wins. If a sign sets a different limit, follow the sign. The page tells you to check with the authority responsible for the rest area.3

The page also points to the QLDTraffic app, and to 13 19 40 for road updates. It was last updated in May 2021, so treat the detail as a starting point and read the sign when you get there.3

Council land and local laws

Every council makes its own rules for streets, parks and reserves. Three real examples show the range:

• Brisbane City Council. Camping overnight in a vehicle on a road is illegal under its Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law 2021. That includes footpaths, road shoulders and reserves. Sleeping in a vehicle on a road is allowed to manage fatigue, for personal safety, in an emergency, in designated signed areas and in tourism accommodation such as caravan parks. The page does not give a fine amount.7
• Cairns Regional Council. Camping is not permitted on council-controlled land, including roadsides, the Esplanade, public parks, car parks, sporting grounds and beaches. That includes sleeping in a vehicle, campervan, tent, hammock or swag, and the on-the-spot fine is $834. The council says it provides the Babinda Rotary Park and Babinda Boulders campgrounds as free, short-term sites. The limit is 72 hours (3 nights), and you cannot return to the same campground within 14 days. At those campgrounds, fires are allowed only in a council-approved fireplace, and generators cannot be used between 8 pm and 8 am. The page was last updated on 30 June 2025.4
• Western Downs. The region’s council visitor website says Chinchilla Weir, 9 km south of Chinchilla, has free camping in designated areas with a two-night maximum. It is first come, first served with no bookings. Campfires are allowed in designated fire pits only, and you bring your own drinking water and firewood. The page notes that fire bans may be in place.9

Other councils will differ again. Check the council’s own page for the town you are staying in, and the sign at the site.

Campfires and fire bans

• Local fire bans. The Queensland Fire Department can declare a local fire ban for all or part of a council area, for a set time. The term Total Fire Ban is not used in Queensland. A ban starts at midnight and can last from a few days to more than a week. Before you light any fire, including a camp fire, you must check whether a ban is in place. The department’s page has a map that it updates about every 15 minutes, and a freecall number, 1800 020 440.5
• In parks and forests. A fire ban normally covers the whole council area, including parks and forests. It bans QPWS fire rings and barbecues and wood-fuelled braziers. Gas and electric barbecues, including gas and spirit stoves, can still be used if they cannot throw embers or ignite nearby ground fuel, are not left unattended and are suitably contained.10
• Park fire prohibitions. QPWS can also impose its own fire prohibition, even when no ban is in force in that council area. These appear on park alerts and park signs.10
• Fireplaces and firewood. Camp fires are allowed only in existing QPWS fireplaces, fire rings or existing fire locations. Bring clean firewood, as collecting timber in parks and forests is not allowed.106

For the rules in every state and territory, see Total Fire Bans and fire danger ratings across Australia.

Free camping Queensland map: what a pin does and does not tell you

People who search for a free camping Queensland map usually want a pin they can trust. A pin tells you where a place is. It does not tell you that you may stay there tonight. The Queensland pages in Trek Eleven are built on that idea:

• Campsites and caravan parks from OpenStreetMap appear as unverified suggestions in their own layer. We have not checked them.
• Rest areas from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads roadside amenities list appear as supplied. That list does not say whether an overnight stay is allowed, so we do not either.
• Where a list records no fee for a place, we write “recorded as free”. That is what the list says, not a promise that camping is allowed.

Use the map to find candidates, then use the land manager’s page and the sign to decide. Start with the Queensland regions: Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, Capricorn and Fraser Coast, Darling Downs and Maranoa, Mackay, Whitsundays and Townsville, Far North Queensland and Cape York and the Queensland Outback.

How Trek Eleven helps

Trek Eleven is a free camping app for all of Australia. For Queensland, here is what it does today:

• You can browse the map and lists with no account.
• Campsites and caravan parks from OpenStreetMap appear as unverified suggestions in their own layer. We have not checked them.
• Every fact shows where it came from and when. A place no one has checked says so plainly.
• You set your vehicle once, and access notes are flagged for it.
• Saved and recently viewed places open with no signal. Offline maps are coming soon.
• If something is wrong, closed or washed out, you can report it from the place page.

The app shows official warnings for most states, but they can be late, so use the official sources in the box below too. See the how it works and how we check pages, or look near Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns and Townsville. Heading over the border? Read our guides to free camping in New South Wales, free camping in South Australia, free camping in Victoria, free camping in Tasmania and free camping in Western Australia, or see free camping across Australia for every state.

How to check a place before you stay

1. Work out who manages the land: a national park, a state forest, a road authority or a council.
2. Read that manager’s page and the sign at the entrance. A “no camping” sign settles it.
3. Check the permit, the fire ban for the day and any park alerts or closures.
4. If you still cannot tell, ask the council or park office, or choose a place you are sure about.

Find places near you

Our region and Camping near pages list the campsites, caravan parks and rest areas on record in Queensland, from open data. Each place says whether Trek Eleven has checked it, and unchecked places are only suggestions. They do not say that camping is allowed, free or open, so read the sources above first.

Open the app in your browser

Towns in Queensland

A selection of the towns in Queensland that have a Camping near page. Each lists the campsites, caravan parks and rest areas on record around the town, from open data. The region pages above list the other 11.

Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast

Capricorn and Fraser Coast

Darling Downs and Maranoa

Far North Queensland and Cape York

Mackay, Whitsundays and Townsville

Queensland Outback