Queensland's controversial Wellcamp quarantine facility is welcoming its first travellers. 

A small group of unvaccinated international travellers have been taken by bus to the site, just outside Toowoomba, from Brisbane. 

About 500 beds are ready at the site, with another 500 to roll out by April. 

The site has been a hot topic in Queensland, having been initially proposed by Toowoomba businessman John Wagner and drawing significant criticism from local community leaders.

Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio said he learned about the project from a media conference he was not invited to.

The federal government said the project was unviable, and approved a joint-run 1,000-bed facility at Pinkenba, near Brisbane Airport.

The Queensland government pushed ahead with a one-year lease for the site at Wellcamp, with options to extend for up to three years.

The government says commercial-in-confidence arrangements mean it cannot reveal how much the project has cost taxpayers. 

Usage may be low, given that there are no restrictions on fully vaccinated international travellers entering Queensland and they are not required to quarantine. 

The state government says it hopes not to have to fill the site with quarantining travellers, and may be able to look for other uses. 

Once the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer an issue, minister for state development Steven Miles said the facility would continue to serve the local community, potentially as an accommodation site for students, as well as construction and agricultural workers.