Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park Sunshine Coast

Four-wheel drive past towering coastal sand cliffs and coloured sands in the paradise of Cooloola Recreation Area. Photo credit: © Tomek Z Genek

Park specific conditions

Queensland National Parks Booking System Update

The new Queensland National Parks Booking Service is live for bookings.

Customer account login
If you are making your first booking since 1 July 2024, a new customer account will be created automatically as part of your next booking. Please note your previous login credentials will no longer be valid.

Customers who have made a booking after 1 July 2024, please use your email address to reset your password to access your account.

More information about the new booking system

  • Check park alerts and the Cooloola conditions report (PDF, 664.9KB) prior to arrival for any park closures, fire prohibitions, warnings, tide times and beach and track conditions.
  • Use established vehicle tracks to access beach camp sites.
  • Driving or parking on vegetated dunes is prohibited.

Campers are permitted to camp with dogs at the nearby Inskip Peninsula Recreation Area. Be aware that domestic animals are not permitted in the Cooloola Recreation Area, unless otherwise sign-posted.

Please note:

  • Dogs are not permitted in vehicles while traversing Cooloola’s beaches and beach access tracks on the way to Inskip.
  • Detour via Cooloola Way or the Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach roads.

24hr number plate surveillance cameras in use

All vehicles entering and exiting the recreation area may have their vehicle number plates recorded. Vehicle registration details are checked against the Queensland National Parks Booking Service and a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) will be issued to the registered owner of any vehicle that does not have a valid vehicle access permit.

A penalty of $483 applies for entering a recreation area without a valid vehicle access permit. This amount will increase each financial year from 1 July. To avoid receiving a PIN, ensure you purchase a vehicle access permit before entering the recreation area. For more information see:

Use fuel or gas cooking appliance stoves for cooking and heating

Camp fires are prohibited in Cooloola, except at Poverty Point camping area unless there is a fire prohibition or ban in place. Check the conditions report (PDF, 1.2MB) before going. Penalties apply.

  • Extinguish camp fires with water, not sand, when unattended or retiring for the night. Embers under sand stay extremely hot for hours and can cause serious burns.
  • Collection of firewood in the recreation area is not permitted, including leaves and twigs for kindling. For camp fires at Poverty Point, bring clean firewood, such as untreated mill off-cuts, not bush wood. It is illegal to collect bush wood from the recreation area and national park.
  • Fires are prohibited at all other camp sites, including Freshwater camping area, Teewah Beach camping zones 1–7 and all Upper Noosa River camp sites.
  • Do not dispose of non-combustible or toxic material (e.g. glass, cans, plastics) in a camp fire. Penalties apply.

For camping areas that don’t permit camp fires, bring a gas or fuel appliance for cooking and heating only that meet the below requirements

  • The appliance must use gas or manufactured fuel (heat beads, briquettes). Manufactured fuel does not include timber or wood.
  • It must be used only for cooking and/or heating.
  • It must be a minimum of 20cm off the ground and more than 2m from flammable materials, which includes vegetation.
  • It must not have the potential to generate airborne embers or possibly ignite nearby ground fuels.
  • It must be fully self-contained (heat source enclosed and no exposed flame) and never left unattended when in use.
  • Appliances that are not fully self-contained, such as braziers, are not permitted.
  • All appliances, materials and burnt fuel must be removed from the recreation area on your departure.
  • Test them before leaving home and never use them in confined spaces, such as tents.

Approved cooking and heating appliances may vary from above list during Queensland Fire Department (QFD) total fire bans. Check park alerts and QFD fire bans and restrictions for more details. Test your cooking appliance before leaving home and never use them in confined spaces, such as tents.

Also see:

Portable toilet

All campers in the Teewah Beach camping zones are required to bring and use a portable toilet during their stay (penalties apply). Even if you are only camping for one night, you still must bring and use a portable toilet. Portable toilets are recommended when camping away from facilities at Poverty Point, Upper Noosa River camp sites 4–15 and Wandi and Neebs waterholes camping areas. Public toilets are located at Freshwater day-use area (just north of Teewah Beach camping zone) and Double Island Point.

QPWS have implemented a waste management plan to protect the natural environment, your coastal camping experience and visitor health.

  • It is illegal to bury a noxious substance, such as portable toilet waste. Do not empty your portable toilet waste into any toilets in the recreation area as it creates a risk to human health. Penalties apply.
  • Portable toilets must have a sealed waste holding tank and must be transportable and suitable for emptying into a portable toilet waste facility.
  • Bag and bucket style toilets are not permitted.
  • Bag sanitary items, disposable nappies, toilet wipes and cigarette butts and remove from the area.

Portable toilet waste disposal facilities are located at:

  • Beach Road, 2nd cutting, Noosa North Shore
  • Freshwater day-use area, (beach camper service bay)
  • Clarkson Drive, Rainbow Beach

Also see:

Waste management

Take all rubbish out of the recreation area. For the convenience of visitors and campers, waste transfer stations are available at:

  • Beach Road, 2nd cutting, Noosa North Shore
  • Freshwater Road, off Rainbow Beach Road

Alternatively, take your rubbish home with you. All waste, including broken camping equipment must be deposited in a bin or removed from the recreation area. Littering and illegal dumping are prohibited, and penalties apply for non-compliance. Report littering and illegal dumping.

Waste management tips when camping:

  • Do not hang rubbish bags from trees or tents. Securely store your waste until disposal, in sealed containers to prevent negative interactions with wildlife.
  • Be part of the solution - reduce, reuse and recycle.
    • Choose a menu with less packaged goods.
    • Take recyclables home for proper disposal.
  • Choose good quality camping equipment that will withstand the harsh elements of the coastal environment.
    • Reuse camping equipment.
    • Repair broken equipment – do not be a consumer with a throwaway mentality.
  • Remove all waste, including broken camping equipment and domestic waste.
  • Don't burn or bury anything.
  • Carry out sanitary products, disposable nappies and cigarette butts. Do not put these in the toilet facilities.
  • Avoid bringing glass as it can’t be crushed. Broken glass can harm other visitors and wildlife.
  • Bring small sealable canisters for cigarette butts. Don't discard butts in the park.

Also see:

Camping

  • Maximum length of stay is 30 days except for the Upper Noosa River camp sites, which is 21 days.
  • Camping structures belonging to all people registered under a tag must be no more than 3m apart.
  • Keep noise to a minimum after 9pm.
  • To reduce impact, use existing camp sites.
  • Reserving or roping off of areas is not permitted.
  • Keep groups small; large groups have more environmental impact and can adversely affect the experience of other visitors. Organised event permits may be required for large groups.
  • Where permitted, only use low decibel generators up to 2.0Kva. Turn generators off after 9pm.

On the Upper Noosa River

  • A six-knot speed limit and no-wash rule applies upstream of Kinaba.
  • Please slow down, if the vessel still generates wash at 6 knots.
  • Motorised vessels are permitted only up to Camp site 3.
  • Electric motors and non-motorised vessels are permitted past Camp site 3.
  • Observe the no-landing zone between Fig Tree Point and Harrys hut.
  • Organised event permits may be required for weddings and large, organised events. Visit Parks permits and policies for more information. Maximum group sizes and other conditions apply depend on location and activity type.
  • As a minimum safety precaution, it is recommended that walkers carry a mobile phone and a spare battery if needed, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and a first aid kit when walking along the Cooloola Wilderness Trail or the Cooloola Great Walk. Leave a trip plan with a family member or friend.
  • Visit the Great Walks website for information on the Cooloola Great Walk.