Recreation permits

You need a permit when you plan to conduct an activity in plantation forests we manage and invite or arrange for people to participate where it’s reasonable to foresee that five or more motor vehicles (including motorcycles), 10 or more people are involved in photography or filming (including the photographer), or 15 or more walkers, horse riders, bicycle riders, guests, workers or spectators may be involved.

There are some variations to this dependent on permit type. The type of permit you require depends on the nature of your activity and whether:

• you are a business
• people have to pay to participate
• anyone benefits financially (from payments, fees, donations, sales, barter transactions, sponsorship, advertising promotion, distribution rights, social media income, etc)
• you plan to erect any infrastructure.

Please refer to the permit flow chart on this page to determine whether you require a permit. If you are still unsure, call us on 07 5438 6666. We'll be happy to help.

An organised event is any arranged activity where five or more motor vehicles (including motor bikes) or 15 or more walkers, horse riders, bicycle riders, volunteers, supporters, spectators or guests are likely to participate. This includes an event promoted on social media such as Facebook or Meetups or even just a social media post asking people to join you at a particular place and time.

An organised event that requires people to pay to participate or involves fundraising activities may require a commercial activity permit. If an organised event is a competitive motor vehicle or equestrian event, you may require a permit to traverse.

Yes, but you may require a commercial filming and photography permit. This also includes filming or photography taken in plantation forests during events, so it’s best to talk to us to avoid a potential Forestry Act prosecution. Even if you don't require a permit, you do need to talk to us about when and where you plan to film.

It depends on the activity you have planned but most permits are not very expensive. For more information about fees, view the fee schedule in the permit fact sheet or contact our office on 5438 6666.

You can download the relevant permit application from this page. Not sure what permit you need? Use our permit flowchart to find out.

Complete your application and post or email it to the address on the form, or by using the Contact Us form and selecting subject Permit application or enquiry then just attach your permit application. Once approved, your permit will be posted to you.

You can also contact us if you have any other questions or call our office on 07 5438 6666.

You are required to apply for a permit at least three weeks before your proposed activity to allow adequate time for it to be reviewed, assessed, approved and invoiced. 

You are responsible for the behaviour, health and safety of the people you invited during your activity. Public liability insurance protects you if you are found to be legally responsible for personal injury to a third party or damage to someone’s property, including ours. A disclaimer on your web page, Facebook or Meetup page, or on an event invitation to waive your duty of care is not acceptable and if there is an incident, you may still be held accountable.

A permit can last for up to 12 months and include more than one activity (such as a calendar of events). However, this does not mean any event you organise in this period is a permitted event. You must still notify us at least two weeks before an upcoming event, and provide details of the event including your proposed route and number of participants. We may decline to allow the event dependent on weather forecasts, forest operations in the area or other events that have already been approved for the same area and period.

If you aren’t a commercial entity and it isn’t a competitive event, you may not need a permit if you have fewer than five motor vehicles (including motorcycles) or fewer than 15 people for non-motorised activities.

You also don’t need a permit from HQP if your proposed activity is restricted to gazetted roads only (a ‘dedicated road’ under the Land Act), however you may need a permit from the road owner, local government authority or other managing body.

If you are planning to operate in both national parks and our plantation forests, then you only need to apply for a permit from QPWS.

If you are found to be holding or participating in an organised event, commercial activity or competitive event in our plantation forests without the appropriate permit, this may impact future permit considerations for you or anyone else in your group or club. If it’s a serious breach, you may even be prosecuted under the Forestry Act and associated Regulations.

If you are considering participating in an event in a plantation forest we manage, you should check that the event organiser (or the person who invited you) has an appropriate and valid permit.

It is your responsibility to control the size and behaviour of your group. If your group size exceeds five or more motor vehicles (including motorcycles), 10 people involved in a filming or photo shoot, or 15 or more walkers, horse riders, bicycle riders, volunteers, supporters, spectators or guests you will require a permit, which is not possible to obtain on the day.

When people tag along, they become part of your group. To avoid the need for a permit, you shouldn’t publicly invite people to join you where you can’t control the response (e.g. on social media).

Yes, but it may change the type of permit you require. The Queensland Government determines that not-for-profit, community and educational organisations, clubs and associations conducting activities with established fees in order to raise funds (other than cost recovery or genuine donations) are considered commercial activities and require a commercial activity permit.

Even if they are popular with other users, we don’t issue permits for formed roads if the proposed activity might cause further damage or contribute to erosion of the road network and impact on water catchments. Our road network has been established to conduct day-to-day forest operations in a cost-effective way as well as to fight wildfires to protect the forest, neighbours and nearby communities.

Further, it is against the law to drive a motor vehicle or ride a motorbike on an unformed road (which includes the fire break network and powerline corridors) or illegally constructed track under the Forestry Act. People who do so risk prosecution.

In our plantation forests, a formed road is a graded road constructed for through traffic generally around a compartment with an obvious camber and clearly constructed drainage below the level of the road on both sides.

A road or track that appears on paper or electronic maps isn’t necessarily a formed road. A track that is exposed or well-used also isn’t a formed road if it doesn’t have intentionally constructed camber and drainage. Fire tracks and fire breaks are not formed roads.

Unformed roads are often those roads and tracks through compartments or between compartments and a public road. In the Beerburrum plantation, if you see a track between two trees with blue rings on them, this is a fire track not a formed road, and members of the public are not permitted to drive on it whether they have a permit or not. It is important these tracks remain accessible to fight wildfires and protect the forest, our neighbours and nearby communities.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between a formed road and an unformed road. The easiest way to be certain is to talk to us about your plans and we can advise what roads are suitable for your activity.

Give us a call on 07 5438 6666 and we will check for you.

Electricity distributors construct and maintain tracks to access their critical infrastructure for operation and maintenance. They do not consent to the use of these tracks for any public or recreational purposes.

In state forests these conditions are requirements of the Forestry Act. It is a condition of our plantation licence with the Queensland Government that we manage our plantation forests on state lands in accordance with all current legislation.

Forest Officers can fine or prosecute someone who breaches the Forestry Act. Forest Officers are usually trained QPWS Rangers and Queensland Police Officers appointed by the Chief Executive under the Forestry Act. Plantation Officers also have powers to prosecute certain offences under the Forestry Act committed in plantation forests on state land. Many of our employees are appointed Plantation Officers.

The Chief Executive is usually the Director General of the department that administers the Forestry Act, currently the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing.

Visit the Queensland Government’s legislation page where you can view or download the Forestry Act 1959.