Sleeping in your car in Queensland

General and recreational vehicles (including caravans and motorhomes) can stop at a Queensland rest area for up to 20 hours, unless signed otherwise. Queensland rest areas are not camping sites and are not an accommodation option. The 20-hour stop exists for fatigue management, not for camping.

Find a rest area No vehicle tonight?

Signs override this page. Whatever is signed at the site is the rule that applies, no matter what is written here.

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Two layers of law

The state: at a rest area on the state road network you can stop for up to 20 hours unless a sign says otherwise. They are not camping sites.

Your council: each council makes its own local laws about staying overnight in a vehicle in public places. 5 have been read so far. The rest say unknown, which is not permission.

Rest areas by council

Where this comes from

• “General and recreational vehicles can stop at a rest area for up to 20 hours unless signed otherwise” — Rest areas, Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
• “they are not camping sites or an accommodation option” “General and recreational vehicles can stop at a rest area for up to 20 hours unless signed otherwise” — Rest areas, Queensland Government. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.