Garie Beach

Can i camp in a tent on australian beaches? legally? safely?

Obviously we would camp way above the tide line. I mean safely as in would be be attacked and robbed

Public Comments

1. Not shure about legality. But safley? HELL NO! When the tide comes up youll get flooded!
2. I'm pretty sure it's not permitted to camp on Australian beaches, at least not on the sand. However, many beaches in Australia have legal, dedicated campsites located very near the beach (in most cases right next to it on the grassy area just metres beyond the sand). In this case, it will still be only a 30 second walk to the water, and you'll still be able to hear the very soothing sounds of the waves. Also, be very carful with campfires. It's almost summer in Australia at the moment, and it's also peak bushfire season. If there is a total fire ban (and there is a very good chance of this happening in spring and summer) then the lighting of any naked flame will be totally illegal and heavy fines apply.
3. no
4. Caravan parks legal and safe
5. The legal position on this is confused. Such camping might come under the Vagrancy Acts which differ from state to state. In Queensland the Vagrancy Act used to be called the Vague Act and was a standing joke at the law faculty at the University of Queensland. Just to make things worse owners of camping facilities have managed to get local governments to pass ordinances banning camping on public land in some local government areas. These ordinances are supposed to be for sanitary or environmental purposes but probably do not comply with common law. Nobody has tested them in a real court with a real barrister and it is no use arguing common law with the police when they arrive to tell you to move on. A relative who is travelling with his wife, four wheel drive, dinghy, and camping trailer emails me from time to time. He is a recently retired policeman BTW. He says that in some of the more remote regions the legally protected camping facilities are full by mid-afternoon. If you want to stay in them you have to reserve a place and be in it by 4pm. If you are not there by then the management give your reserved place to one of the line of hopefuls waiting outside. To summarise I would expect you could have legal problems if you tried camping within 20 or 40 kilometres of a designated camping ground. That probably means the entire coastline from Port Douglas to Port Lincoln is off limits, though you might find a few patches here and there. If there are no complaints, you are not making a nuisance of yourself and do not appear to have settled for a few months you may be allowed to stay overnight if police arrive. For more information contact the motorists associations in the various states, NRMA, RACQ, RACV etc. Also search "grey nomad" & "Australia" for a lot of information on the net. As for safety, there is little chance of becoming a crime victim.
6. you can camp on a lot of beache's legally as they have camping sites you will have to book a site at some of them as they are popular at some times of the year & in national parks.If you mean just go to any beach near a city or town & pitch a tent NO but well away from anyplace if you are traveling & just stop for a nite or 2 you will getaway with it there is a lot of coast to pick from in australia here is a site for camping in QLD australia it may help you http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parks_and_forests/