Caravan parks in Queensland stretch from beachfront sites on the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast to parks within reach of the Whitsundays and the reef towns of the far north. This guide covers eleven of them, grouped by region from south to north, with one inland pick in Toowoomba for a break from the coast.

Each entry sticks to what the park's own website says about its sites and its pet rules, along with what is close by. Check the park again before you book, because parks change hands and names: the Bargara park in this guide went out to tender in 2024 and now runs under a new operator and a new name 1110.

How to choose caravan parks in Queensland

A park that looks right on a map can still be wrong for your rig. Before you book, run through these points with the park's own page open:

  • Length. Check your rig's overall length against the park's site sizes. Nobby Beach Holiday Village, for example, takes caravans up to 25 ft on its powered grass and slab sites and saves its premium slab sites for big rigs up to 38 ft 1.
  • Pets. Rules differ from park to park and sometimes from site to site. Jacobs Well Tourist Park takes dogs on application on powered sites in a dog-friendly area, with no more than two dogs on a site booking, and Gold Coast Tourist Parks does not allow certain breeds at any of its parks 3.
  • Arrival times. A long towing day can run late. Dicky Beach Holiday Park does not allow arrivals after 8pm, so ring ahead if you are running behind 4.
  • Dump points. If your van has a cassette toilet or a grey water tank, look for a dump point. Nobby Beach Holiday Village and Jacobs Well Tourist Park both list one 13.
  • Internet. Do not count on it everywhere. Jacobs Well Tourist Park says Wi-Fi is not available there, so download your maps and bookings before you arrive 3.

If you are still choosing a van, compare the lengths of pop-top caravans and hybrid campers on Caravan Domain with the site limits of the parks you have in mind.

Gold Coast caravan parks

On the Gold Coast, pick your base by what you plan to do: the beach at Nobby Beach, or the theme parks from Helensvale. Boating families can look at Jacobs Well, on southern Moreton Bay 3.

Nobby Beach Holiday Village, near the surf

Nobby Beach Holiday Village is on the Gold Coast Highway at Miami, a 400 m walk from patrolled surf beaches and 100 m from the Nobby Beach shops and cafes 1. It has two heated swimming pools and a 35 m waterslide that takes one rider at a time 1. Bikes can be hired at the park for the cycle paths that run from Main Beach to Palm Beach 1. The park also has an on-site mini-mart and swap-and-go gas bottles, which saves a trip when a cylinder runs out 1.

BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, for the theme parks

BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park, on Siganto Drive at Helensvale, describes itself as the closest park to the Gold Coast theme parks, with Dreamworld just up the road 2. Its site list runs from powered and ensuite sites up to large rig sites 2. The park has its own water park and a camp kitchen 2. It is listed as pet friendly, but its page does not set out the pet rules, so ask when you book 2.

Jacobs Well Tourist Park, for boating

Jacobs Well Tourist Park is run by Gold Coast Tourist Parks and sits on the waterways of southern Moreton Bay 3. It suits boating families: the public boat ramp is just steps away, and the park has a car and boat wash 3. Large powered sites are offered alongside unpowered sites with water views 3. For dog owners there is a fenced off-leash area, though dogs are never allowed in the park's shared areas such as the camp kitchen 3.

Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay

This section covers a beachfront park and a river park on the Sunshine Coast, then a park at Hervey Bay.

Dicky Beach Holiday Park, on the beachfront

Dicky Beach Holiday Park is a beachfront park in Caloundra, steps from a patrolled beach 4. Its powered caravan sites come with or without a concrete slab, and its powered beach sites have a partial ocean view 4. The park is part of Sunshine Coast Holiday Parks, which its website describes as a Sunshine Coast Council partnership with Visit Sunshine Coast 4. Its notes say dogs are taken on application at three other parks in the group, so ask before you bring a dog here 4.

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore, for glamping

Ingenia Holidays Rivershore is on the David Low Way at Diddillibah, on the Maroochy River 5. Its park features include riverfront glamping tents, and the park has a resort-style pool with an on-site restaurant and bar called Driftwood 5. Ingenia says it is already taking bookings for stays from February 2027, when the park's expansion adds new tents, studio pods and deluxe ensuite powered sites 6.

Torquay Palms, Hervey Bay

Tasman Holiday Parks' Torquay Palms is on Truro Street in Torquay, tucked just behind Hervey Bay's esplanade 7. It offers shady powered sites and a camp kitchen, plus a resort-style pool 7. It is pet friendly, although not every cabin takes pets and extra charges may apply 7. The park calls itself the gateway to K'gari, and it says several whale-watching tour operators run out of Hervey Bay, with the tour departure point on Buccaneer Drive a 7-minute drive from the park 7. Tasman's own whale guide puts the best months at July to November, with the peak from August to October 8.

Bargara, near Bundaberg

Discovery Parks Bargara is directly across from the Coral Sea, about 15 minutes east of Bundaberg 910. Bundaberg Regional Council put the park, then called Bargara Beach Caravan Park, out to tender in September 2024, for the first time in nearly 20 years 11. G'day Group took it on after that tender and runs it under the Discovery Parks name 10. The 6.7 hectare property has 319 tourist sites, 226 of them powered 10. Its facilities include a camp kitchen and a tennis court, and the park sits beside the Nielson Park coastal precinct and its walking trails 910.

The bigger draw for many visitors is Mon Repos, a coastal park close to Bundaberg which, according to Queensland's national parks booking service, has the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region 12. Nesting turtles come ashore from November to early February, and hatchlings emerge from late January to the end of March 12. Ranger-guided Turtle Encounters run seven nights a week from 7 November 2026 to 21 March 2027, except on 24, 25 and 31 December 12. Book through the Mon Repos Turtle Encounter page, where online bookings close at 4pm each day 12.

An inland pick in Toowoomba

BIG4 Toowoomba Holiday Park is in Harristown, just minutes from the centre of Toowoomba 13. It has powered and ensuite powered sites, and its facilities include two swimming pools and a camp kitchen 13. Pets are accepted at the manager's discretion on all of its sites and in four of its ensuite cabins, and you need to mention your pet when you book 13. Nearby sights the park names include Queens Park and the Japanese Garden 13.

Time your visit around the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers if you like gardens. It is held in September through to early October each year and has run since 1949, so book your site well ahead for those weeks 14.

North Queensland, from Airlie Beach to Cairns

Plan the far north around its seasons, which are set out in the next section, before you lock in dates.

NRMA Airlie Beach Holiday Park, opposite the beach

NRMA Airlie Beach Holiday Park is on Shute Harbour Road in Cannonvale, directly opposite Cannonvale Beach and just minutes from the heart of Airlie Beach 15. Its sites include powered slab sites, and the park has a resort-style swimming pool 15. Pets are allowed on selected sites only and are kept out of shared areas such as the pool 15.

Tasman Holiday Parks BIG4 Rowes Bay, by the beach

In Townsville, Tasman Holiday Parks BIG4 Rowes Bay is on Heatleys Parade with beachfront access, just minutes from the city centre 16. The Magnetic Island ferry leaves from the harbour, which the park puts at a 10-minute drive 16. Pets are welcome on all of its powered and unpowered sites when you bring your own van or tent, while its pet-friendly villas are limited and worth booking early 16.

BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut, with a splash park

BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut is on Anderson Road at Woree, in Cairns 17. Its page lists a splash park and a dual water slide 17. There is a jumping pillow too, and the park also has mini golf 17. Dog owners get a dog agility park, and the park says it has some pet-friendly options 17.

When to go and what to book ahead

The tropical north has two seasons that shape a caravan trip. The Bureau of Meteorology measures northern Australia's wet season from October to April 19.

Marine stingers, including the box jellyfish and the Irukandji, are present in tropical Queensland waters all year round, and the Queensland Government says the risk is higher in the stinger season from November to May 18. Its dangerous marine life advice is to swim at patrolled beaches between the red and yellow flags, and inside stinger nets where they are provided 18. The same page warns that crocodiles live in both fresh and salt water in northern Queensland, so swim only in designated safe areas and take extra care near water at night 18.

School holidays matter too. Queensland's state school summer holidays run from Saturday 12 December 2026 to Tuesday 26 January 2027, so beachfront sites for those weeks are worth booking early 20.

Towing in Queensland

The Queensland Government's towing rules start with your vehicle's own limits. The government says the owner's manual usually gives the maximum weight your vehicle can tow, and that you should not exceed it 21. You may tow a trailer whose aggregate trailer mass (ATM) is above your vehicle's rated towing capacity, but only if it is not loaded beyond that capacity 21. Large trailers may need extra mirrors, and a rear-view camera helps but does not replace them 21.

If you are selling a caravan in Queensland, light trailers with an ATM of 751 to 4,500 kg need a current safety certificate when they are sold or transferred while registered, or transferred from interstate registration 21. Our guide to buying and selling safely covers scams and safe payment in a private sale.

Caravan Domain's tow match tool takes your vehicle's braked towing capacity and towball limit, then shows the caravans whose ATM sits within your rating. Heading further south after Queensland? Our guides to the best caravan parks in Adelaide and the best caravan parks in Melbourne cover the next stops.

Sources

  1. Nobby Beach Holiday Village, Park Info - Nobby Beach Holiday Village, accessed 29 October 2026
  2. BIG4 Holiday Parks, BIG4 Gold Coast Caravan Park | Book Direct & Save With BIG4, accessed 29 October 2026
  3. Gold Coast Tourist Parks, Jacobs Well | Gold Coast Tourist Parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  4. Sunshine Coast Holiday Parks, Dicky Beach Holiday Park - Sunshine Coast Holiday Parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  5. Ingenia Holidays, Ingenia Holidays Rivershore | Sunshine Coast Holiday & Caravan Park, accessed 29 October 2026
  6. Ingenia Holidays, Ingenia Holidays Rivershore: Now Taking Bookings for February 2027, accessed 30 October 2026
  7. Tasman Holiday Parks, Torquay Palms Caravan Park | Tasman Holiday Parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  8. Tasman Holiday Parks, The ultimate guide to whale watching in Hervey Bay, accessed 29 October 2026
  9. Discovery Parks, Discovery Parks - Bargara, Queensland, accessed 29 October 2026
  10. G'day Group, G'day Group adds prime beachside location in Bargara, Queensland, accessed 29 October 2026
  11. Bundaberg Regional Council, Bargara Beach Caravan Park out to tender, accessed 29 October 2026
  12. Queensland Government, Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounter, accessed 29 October 2026
  13. BIG4 Holiday Parks, BIG4 Toowoomba Holiday Park | Book Direct & Save With BIG4, accessed 29 October 2026
  14. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers (TCOF) Toowoomba, Queensland, accessed 29 October 2026
  15. BIG4 Holiday Parks, NRMA Airlie Beach Holiday Park | Book Now With BIG4, accessed 29 October 2026
  16. Tasman Holiday Parks, Rowes Bay Caravan Park | Tasman Holiday Parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  17. Ingenia Holidays, BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut | Holiday & Caravan Park Cairns | Ingenia Holiday Parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  18. Queensland Government, Dangerous marine life, accessed 29 October 2026
  19. Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Australia wet season lives up to its name, accessed 29 October 2026
  20. Queensland Department of Education, School holidays and term dates, accessed 29 October 2026
  21. Queensland Government, Towing vehicles and trailers, accessed 29 October 2026