Forty minutes north of Yeppoon, Byfield National Park is the Capricorn Coast's quietest wilderness — coastal lowland rainforest, ancient cycads, towering sand dunes that drop straight into the Pacific, and creeks you can swim in. Stockyard Point, Five Rocks, Nob Creek Pottery and Ferns Hideaway. The park's reward is silence.
Byfield National Park stretches across roughly 15,000 hectares of coastal lowland rainforest, sand-dune complexes and ocean beaches at the northern edge of Queensland's Capricorn Coast. The park is layered — inland rainforest with ancient cycads and Byfield ferns; a State Forest pine plantation; the tiny village of Byfield itself with Nob Creek Pottery and Ferns Hideaway Resort; and out beyond, the wilder coastal section where some of Queensland's highest sand dunes fall into the Pacific at Stockyard Point and Five Rocks. Two-wheel-drive will get you to the inland creeks and the village; 4WD opens the coast. We acknowledge the Darumbal people as the Traditional Custodians of this Country.
Byfield National Park is one of the largest stretches of coastal lowland rainforest in central Queensland.
Two parks in one — gentle inland rainforest and wild 4WD coast. Pick your level of adventure.
The park's iconic destination — dramatic coastal headland and dune complex where some of Queensland's highest sand dunes fall into the Pacific. 4WD only, high clearance required, tyre deflation expected. Remote, beautiful, no facilities.
Plan a 4WD day
A wide stretch of beach at the park's northern coast, with five distinct offshore rocks giving the area its name. 4WD beach camping permitted (book through QPWS). Surf fishing, long beach walks, and almost no one around.
Plan a beach camp
The most accessible camping area in the park — fronting Stony Creek with shaded sites, freshwater swimming holes and easy 2WD access. The Capricorn Coast's classic family camping spot. Book ahead in school holidays.
Plan a camp trip
A smaller, quieter camping area further up Stony Creek — fewer sites, more privacy, and a succession of freshwater swimming holes set into the rainforest. The locals' pick when Stony Creek itself fills up.
Plan your weekend
A picnic and day-use area on the park's gentle inland side — Waterpark Creek runs through lowland rainforest with picnic tables, shaded grass and short walking tracks. The perfect Sunday lunch spot if you don't fancy the 4WD coast.
More Capricorn ideas
Between Yeppoon and the National Park sit the working pine plantations of Byfield State Forest — corridors of plantation pines, dirt back-roads, and a network of 4WD and mountain bike trails. Less protected than the park itself but a beautiful drive.
Plan a touring day
A working studio and gallery in tiny Byfield village — handcrafted ceramics by a long-time Capricorn Coast potter, plus a small coffee garden tucked under big trees. The natural stop on the drive in or out of the park.
Plan a Byfield day
Set among the Byfield rainforest with timber cabins, an on-site restaurant and creek frontage — the area's main commercial stay. A comfortable base for non-campers exploring the park, with the village 5 minutes away.
Plan a stay
The park is renowned for its ancient cycads — slow-growing palms that pre-date dinosaurs — and the Byfield fern, found almost nowhere else. Short walking tracks loop through the rainforest understory for an easy introduction.
Plan a nature dayA year-round park, but the seasons change the experience entirely.
The sweet spot — cool nights, dry days, low fire and mosquito pressure. Creek camps are most pleasant and 4WD tracks are firmest.
Coastal heath and rainforest understory flower in spring. Particularly good in the State Forest sections and along the inland walking tracks.
Hot, humid, and tracks can be cut off after rain. Creeks run high, swimming holes are full but check QPWS alerts before any 4WD plans.
Stony Creek and Upper Stony Creek book out months ahead. Plan early for any school-holiday camping; the coastal 4WD beach sites fill fast too.
The park rewards preparation. A few local notes to make the trip work.
April–September is dry-season prime. Cool nights, warm dry days, low mosquito pressure, firm 4WD tracks. Avoid the wet season (Dec–Mar) for any 4WD plans.
40 minutes north of Yeppoon by sealed road as far as Byfield village. Stony Creek is 2WD; Stockyard Point and Five Rocks are 4WD-only with high clearance and tyre deflation. Plan fuel before entering.
Stony Creek camping is the family option — 2WD-accessible, shaded sites, freshwater swimming holes. Add a Waterpark Creek picnic and Nob Creek Pottery for an easy day if you're not camping.
Book QPWS camp sites well ahead. Bring drinking water — facilities are minimal. Mobile coverage drops out in the park. Tell someone your plan if you're heading to Stockyard Point — it's remote.
Take the short rainforest walking track at Waterpark Creek just on dusk — the cycads and ferns are at their best, and you'll often spot platypus or echidna if you're patient and quiet.
Camp at Stony Creek or Upper Stony Creek for the rainforest experience, or Five Rocks / Nine Mile Beach (4WD-only) for the wild coastal version. Ferns Hideaway cabins for non-campers.
Spend a morning in Yeppoon or at Cooee Bay, head north to Byfield for the afternoon, return for sunset. Or extend a weekend with Great Keppel Island the next day. Cooee Tours can build the itinerary.
The Capricorn Coast hub — lagoon, foreshore, restaurants and the easy base for the region.
Explore Yeppoon
17 beaches, fringing reef, bushwalks. The Southern Reef's quiet jewel, 30 min from Rosslyn Bay.
Plan your island day
Twenty minutes south of Yeppoon — coastal village, the Singing Ship sculpture and the ANZAC walk.
Emu Park guideByfield National Park is around 40 minutes drive north of Yeppoon on Queensland's Capricorn Coast — a coastal rainforest park of roughly 15,000 hectares stretching from inland Byfield village to the Pacific Ocean, with sand dunes, creeks and 4WD-only beaches.
Some areas yes, others no. The Stony Creek and Upper Stony Creek camping areas, the inland rainforest tracks and Byfield village itself are accessible by 2WD. Stockyard Point, Five Rocks, Nine Mile Beach and the coastal sand dunes are 4WD-only with high clearance and tyre deflation usually required.
Yes. Queensland Parks operates several camping areas including Stony Creek (2WD-accessible, creek-side), Upper Stony Creek (smaller, more secluded) and Nine Mile Beach and Five Rocks (4WD-only, beachfront). Bookings via the QPWS website are required; sites are popular in school holidays.
Coastal lowland rainforest with ancient cycads and Byfield ferns, towering coastal sand dunes (some of the highest in Queensland), Stockyard Point's dramatic dune-and-beach landscape, Five Rocks Beach, creek-side swimming holes, Nob Creek Pottery in Byfield village, and Ferns Hideaway Resort.
About 40 minutes by car — roughly 35 kilometres on a sealed road as far as Byfield village, then progressively rougher tracks into the national park. The State Forest pine plantations sit between Yeppoon and the park proper.
The Darumbal people are the Traditional Custodians of the Capricorn Coast Country that includes Byfield National Park. Their connection to this land extends back tens of thousands of years.
Patchy. Mobile coverage drops out in much of the park, including most camping areas and the coastal 4WD tracks. Download offline maps before you go and tell someone your plan if heading to Stockyard Point or Five Rocks.
Rainforest, dunes, creeks and 4WD beaches — Cooee Tours can plan a Byfield day or build it into a multi-day Capricorn Coast itinerary that includes Yeppoon, the Keppels and Emu Park.
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