Camping is popular with budget travel and backpacking visitors to Australia, with many thousands
of designated camping grounds and areas. If you want to camp on private property you need to get
permission from the owners, but all roadside space in Queensland is publicly owned and usually if
you get off the road in a quiet place then usually nobody will complain.Caravan Parks
There are hundreds of caravan parks around Queensland. They can range from small to quite large, and they offer a safe environment to camp and have at least the basic facilities of toilets, showers and electricity.
Fire Danger
Often in parts of Australia when the weather is very dry in late winter fire bans are put in place. There will be a declared level of fire danger ranging from low to extreme, and often signs are placed beside roads indicating the level of fire danger.
When the fire danger is high to extreme there will be a total ban on lighting any fire.
Stoves
To find the right backpacking stove it is important to consider the trip you are taking. If your kind of budget travel is backpacking between hostels, then you don't need a stove at all. If you will be doing bushwalking and hiking, then you need the smallest, lightest solid fuel stove practicable. If you will buy a car or van, then a good gas cooker would be the preferred option.
There are several types of fuel to choose from - LPG, metho, propane cartridge and solid fuel. The most common choice for budget travel campers (and therefore most widely available fuel refill) is the 3/8 LH LPG type - a single burner costs around $50 and an elaborate 3 burner with grill for about $250
However one big problem with gas fuels is that they are very dangerous to carry inside a vehicle - often the containers will leak and create an explosive fuel/air mixture inside the car, which will be ignited by the smallest spark. And the consequent explosion could be fairly uncomfortable for the occupants of the car.
The solution is to carry all fuels outside the cabin - in the back if the vehicle is a ute - in a trailer - on a roof rack.
Side baffles are an important consideration in Queensland, because without a wind shield even the smallest breeze will reduce the effectiveness of the flame. Having such a wind shield make lighting backpacking camp stove easier and allows the food to cook more quickly and evenly.