A man has been charged after allegedly abducting a girl from a shopping centre north of Brisbane and sexually assaulting her in nearby bushland.

It will be alleged the man took the seven-year-old girl from the Kmart store in Westfield North Lakes on Saturday, sexually assaulted her and brought her back to the centre more than an hour later.

A 26-year-old Morayfield man was arrested on Monday night and charged with deprivation of liberty, taking a child for immoral purposes and indecent treatment of a child under 12 years.

He appeared in Pine Rivers Magistrate Court on Tuesday morning, however, media was banned from the court by the magistrate and the matter was adjourned to Wednesday.

Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming thanked Westfield North Lakes staff for their help and said the incident served as a warning to the community.

"Crimes in circumstances such as this are not common but it is a timely reminder that a very small number of people could take advantage of an opportunity to harm a child," he said.

- with AAP