Park permits and tourist guides

Application forms and permits

You need a permit to conduct certain activities (including camping) in Queensland's parks and forests including:

• recreational and commercial tours
• scientific or educational research
• group activities—orienteering, climbing and traversing.

A permit ensures these areas are managed appropriately and are ecologically sustainable. Permits are needed for national park and state forest land, so managers and planners can regulate activities in these areas.

I want to:	Permit needed
be exempt from paying a vehicle access fee (e.g. because I live on Fraser Island etc)	Application for vehicle access permit fee exemption (DOC, 162KB)
take a group of people into a national park and have exclusive use of an area	Permit to conduct a group activity
conduct a business (tours etc) on national park land	Permit to conduct commercial activity(ies) (DOC, 312KB)
enter a park that is declared a restricted access area	Permit to enter a national park (scientific) (DOC, 242KB)
conduct an activity in a marine park such as aquaculture or research	Permit for (state only) marine parks (DOC, 263KB)
take plant or animal samples from a national park	Permit to take, use, keep or interfere (general resource permit) (DOC, 212KB)

Commercial activities in parks and forests

There are more than 11 million hectares of parks and forests across Queensland. These areas provide opportunities for commercial activities, as long as they are not going to damage the park.

Commercial activities include:

• beekeeping on protected areas
• commercial filming/photography
• commercial tours
• mobile food vending
• soliciting donations or information.

Fees and charges

You will need to pay a fee for permits for commercial activities in or near parks, forests and reserves:

• agistment, grazing and stock route permits
• animal licences and permits
• camping and vehicle access permits
• commercial activity agreements and permits
• communication facility authority and occupation permits
• group activity permits
• plant and wildlife record books and tags
• plant licences and permits
• quarry and dredging materials.

Some fees and charges are subject to the consumer price index (CPI).

While every care is taken to ensure these fees and charges are current, before making any payments we advise that you contact us to check.

Accessing restricted areas

Areas within a park or forest (even the entire park or forest) can be declared as a restricted area for a variety of ecological or safety reasons.

Restrictions can be permanent, temporary or seasonal depending on the reason for the restriction.

Restricted areas may be accessed for certain purposes—but you need a permit. You should discuss your proposal with staff in the local area before formally applying. You can apply for a permit (DOC, 242KB) to access a restricted area for up to 1 year.

Permit applications are assessed against:

• the reason why access to the area has been restricted
• potential impacts on the park
• other relevant criteria.

When applying for a permit, you need to supply:

• the names of all restricted access areas and the sites you want to visit
• a detailed outline of all intended activities within each area and site.

Read the Operational policy: Restricted access area permits (PDF, 74KB) and the Information sheet: Restricted access area permit (PDF, 70KB).

Recreational use

You need a permit for some recreational activities in parks and forests, including:

• taking a live animal into a protected area
• taking flowers onto areas managed by the department
• camping
• conducting group activities—such as excursions or large picnics that require exclusive use of an area
• hang gliding
• landing aircraft or recreational craft
• recreational fishing
• conducting special activities e.g. rock-climbing or canoeing
• driving vehicles.

Tourism in protected areas

Queensland’s national parks and forests attract more than 16 million visitors each year. To ensure a balance between conservation and tourism, we have developed the Tourism in Protected Areas (TIPA) framework in partnership with the tourism sector.

This framework—for commercial operations in key, highly visited protected areas—will help ensure a sustainable future for our environment and the tourism industry.

Tourist guides

Southern Queensland

• Cooloola Recreation Area and surrounds (PDF, 6.4MB)
• D’Aguilar Range (PDF, 2.6MB)
• Fraser Island World Heritage Area and Recreation Area (PDF, 2.8MB)
• Gold Coast and Scenic Rim (PDF, 3.5MB)
• Southern Inland Queensland (PDF, 4.3MB)
• South West Queensland (PDF, 4.4MB)

Central Queensland

• Byfield area parks and forests (PDF, 3.8MB)
• Central Queensland Sandstone Belt (PDF, 4.2MB)
• Central West Queensland parks (PDF, 4.2MB)
• Mackay coast and island national parks (PDF, 1.2MB)
• Mackay Highlands and Eungella National Park (PDF, 1.3MB)
• Rockhampton and Capricorn Coast parks and forests (PDF, 3.6MB)
• Whitsunday area (PDF, 4.8MB)

Northern Queensland

• Cape York Peninsula parks and reserves (PDF, 3.5MB)
• Tablelands Region—parks and forests of the Atherton and Evelyn tablelands (PDF, 2.6MB)
• Townsville Region national parks, conservation parks and state forests (PDF, 3.3MB)
• Wet tropics coast—Cardwell to Cairns—national parks (PDF, 4.2MB)