What I've learnt about recreational drone flying - NSW, Australia
Flying a drone is a responsibility. It's no different to driving a car, or flying a plane. You're in control of the aircraft, and it's your responsibility to fly it legally and responsibly.
There are a lot of different rules and regulations that can apply to drones. In my case, flying a DJI Mavic Air for fun, I fall into the Recreational sub 2kg category.
Disclaimer: this post does not replace the research a drone pilot should do before flying. Please ensure you educate yourself on the rules - but feel free to use this as a starting point for some useful links!
CASA rules
CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) is the ultimate authority on piloting a drone. They have a bunch of helpful resources such as the Know Your Drone website.
When purchasing a new drone, the manufacturer or seller will also usually include some quick reference brochures - this is a great thing to keep in your bag as a reminder.
Additionally, there as a CASA-certified free app called OpenSky, available on Apple and Android which you can use to pinpoint any location in Australia to help work out where and when you can fly. It auto updates with any information about emergency exclusion zones (such as bushfires and backburning), as well as National Park land. I always check the spot on the map before I leave home and then again before I launch to make sure I'm flying legally.
National Parks
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has a “Drones in Parks Policy” which details where, when and how you can fly a drone in a National Park. These go above and beyond the restrictions of CASA, notably:
Prior approval when flying in a park, which must be formally requested 10 days before flying
Some parks/certain areas of some parks are totally off limits due to high numbers of tourists, or environmental/cultural conservation reasons
Not flying too close to marine mammals, more details on the website
Not flying in ski resorts (Kosciusko National Park) under any circumstances
Personally, I tend to avoid flying in parks entirely due to the length of the application process. I have taken off in non-parks areas and then flown only directly over non-parks areas while taking photos of parks landscapes - but this is as close as I will get.
Local authorities
In certain places, there are restrictions for drone flying for other reasons. Some examples I've come across:
Norah Head Lighthouse and the Headland - environmental and heritage conservation
Bobbin Head (Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park) - high volumes of tourists preventing safe flying (signs in the area & parks office)
State Forests (Forestry Corporation) - some rules additional to CASA rules when flying above State forest land
All in all…
There are many others that apply and as already mentioned, it's the pilots responsibility to comply with all of the above. The more people that don’t, the more likely it is that drone flying will become less possible and more rules will be imposed.
I love flying my drone but the rules can seem overwhelming at times. I hope all this has helped point you in the right direction!