FreeCamps

Annette Kellerman Park, Mermaid Beach

Contested — state rule vs council law

The state lists this as a rest area where a 20-hour fatigue stop is permitted, while City of Gold Coast prohibits overnight vehicle stays in public places without publishing a fatigue exception. Both instruments are shown below — this site does not pick a winner where the law itself hasn't.

Motorist rest area at Mermaid Beach, in Gold Coast City. You can stop for up to 20 hours unless a sign says otherwise. It is not a camping site.

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

Where it is

-28.04781, 153.43498

Open in Google Maps · OpenStreetMap · More in Gold Coast City

What's here

The council here (City of Gold Coast)

On the Gold Coast it is illegal to camp overnight in a public place, and the City states this includes sleeping, or staying overnight in, a vehicle in a public place.

The City of Gold Coast regulates camping under Local Law No. 16 (Licensing) 2008 and Subordinate Local Law No. 16.6 (Camping Areas) 2008 — covering temporary or semi-permanent accommodation including occupying or sleeping in a tent, caravan or vehicle — and states it is illegal to camp on Gold Coast beaches, roads and parks, with officers patrolling public areas seven days a week.

The City states no exceptions in its published guidance beyond licensed camping facilities. State rest areas within the LGA are on the state-controlled road network; the state 20-hour fatigue rule applies there, but anywhere else in a public place the council prohibition applies.

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.
  • “No; it is illegal to camp overnight in a public place, which includes sleeping, or staying overnight in, a vehicle in a public place.” — Your guide to safe and legal parking on the Gold Coast (May 2023), p. 61, City of Gold Coast. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
  • “It is illegal to camp on Gold Coast beaches, roads and parks.” — Camping area licence, City of Gold Coast. Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
  • Site location and amenities: Roadside amenities — State Road Information (layer 17), Queensland Government, Department of Transport and Main Roads (QSpatial) (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.
  • Locality (Mermaid Beach): not published with the site — derived from its coordinates against Locality boundaries — Administrative Boundaries (layer 2), Queensland Government, Department of Resources (QSpatial) (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 30 Aug 2026.