Noosa Crackdown on Illegal Camping Sparks Outrage Over Fines

A crackdown on illegal camping in Noosa has sparked outrage in the coastal Queensland community, with many arguing $345 on-the-spot fines will not solve the issue.

The state government recently increased the infringement penalty for illegal camping.

The fines are enforced by Noosa Council, which says it also plans to launch mobile licence-plate recognition to combat illegal camping.

Luke Williams, a 42-year-old medical pathologist who lived in his car for four months in Noosa in 2024, said that every morning, council officers threatened to fine him for illegal camping.

But he said the council never offered him any support.

"I realised I was out on my own," Mr Williams said.

Noosa MP Sandy Bolton argued that fining people who were camping illegally would not help the issue.

"If people have nowhere else to go, enforcement simply shifts the problem rather than addressing it," she said.

Locals biggest complaint

Used sanitary items and toilet paper littered across beach hotspots, the smell of urine and faeces, and no car parks for locals are among the hundreds of complaints Noosa Council has received this year about illegal campers.

So far this year, the council has received 295 complaints about illegal camping. Last year, the council received 414 complaints.

Noosa Council and Queensland Police issued nearly $12,000 in fines last month.

Local laws and environmental health acting manager Clint Irwin said it was a complex issue.

"We do have tourists coming in, and they're sleeping in those vans … wanting the beach and the surf lifestyle at a very small cost," he said.

Mr Irwin said the council connected homeless people to support services.

"It is distressing for locals to see because obviously there is waste and rubbish … the community gets rightly upset … Noosa is very in touch with the environment," he said.

"We're trying to balance having an infringement or punitive-style approach with a compassionate approach."

Noosa Council's director of development and regulation, Richard MacGillivray, said enforcement efforts were directed at those knowingly disregarding local laws, particularly visitors who treated public spaces as free campgrounds.

"When our officers encounter people experiencing genuine homelessness who are living in their vehicles because they have no other option, our priority is not enforcement," he said.

'Better off on the street'

For travellers, the crackdown on illegal camping has caused a stir.

"Lots of the people travelling from Noosa to Cairns were complaining about the fines," Ukrainian student Serge Belonosehko said.

"Almost everybody got a fine … I was lucky to escape it."

While he understood the frustrations of many locals, he hoped they could see his perspective too.

He said he had been working in Queensland as a farm mechanic and could not afford rent.

"They wanted to charge me $450 for a room with six people," Mr Belonosehko said.

"I'm better off buying a van or living somewhere on the street."

Mr Belonosehko said many hostels and campsites were overpriced.

'They don't have money'

Mr Williams said the crackdown was "unfair".

"Travelling backpackers almost exclusively work in hospitality, which is vital in Noosa, but where do they stay?"

"Handing out fines and bullying people to move on is not the answer.

"They don't have any money to begin with."

Although he has now found a home to rent on the Sunshine Coast, Mr Williams said he still wanted to see more support for the homeless population.

"There's no support for people who are doing it tough," he said.

'Priced out of their community'

Ms Bolton said she heard every week from locals who were working, studying or raising families but could not find an affordable place to live.

"No-one should be living in a car or tent because they have been priced out of the communities they work and volunteer in," she said.

"Council has a responsibility to keep public spaces safe and accessible for all … however, fines will not solve homelessness, nor those visitors in campervans coming through seeking somewhere for the night."

Instead, Ms Bolton pitched a community-managed caravan/tiny-home/cabin park to provide an affordable option for both residents and travelling visitors.

"The community deserves safe public spaces, and people experiencing homelessness deserve action and real pathways into housing," she said.

"We should not accept either as an impossible choice."

'It's getting worse'

Noosa local Bruce Gordon said he supported the council providing cheaper or even free camping areas.

"I think the fines are a bit steep, but then again … obviously warnings don't work," he said.

"The government once said there'll be no homeless children, and that was 10, 15 years ago, it's still happening … it's just getting worse."