7 dog-friendly Australian holidays
While it might be hard to find a hotel that’s willing to make space for your pet tarantula, there are plenty of places that are willing to accommodate pets of the four-legged variety. Here are seven of the best places to take your pets on holiday in Australia, so you don’t have to send Fido to a kennel.
Sydney, NSW
Exploring the harbour city with your favourite pooch is no pipedream. Sydney has a lot to offer people travelling with their four legged friends. Cook & Phillip Park provides a great area for dogs to be off-leash, as well as the newly redeveloped Prince Alfred Park. If you have some time head to Cafe Bones in Leichhardt, billed as “the world’s first truly dog-friendly café”. Open seven days, Café Bones has human food and drink as well as a “Pupaccino” and gourmet dog biscuits.
Adelaide, SA
Australia’s wine capital has a lot to offer you and your pooch. Asides from a selection of great off-leash dog parks (pick of the bunch being North Adelaide’s Ngampa Yerta Park with fenced off areas for dogs of different sizes to socialise), Whipped Bake Bar Café provides dog bowls and easy access to Semaphore Dog Beach. If you get a chance you should also explore the beautiful Belair National Park, which allows you to take your dog along as long you’ve got it on a leash.
Blue Mountains, NSW
Combining steep cliffs, dramatic scenery and idyllic villages, the Blue Mountains is also a great place to take your pet on vacation. Head to Turon Gates near Lithgow, Fibro Majestic in Katoomba and Tapio Guesthouse in Oberon for luxury accommodation that is 100 per cent dog friendly. The Blue Mountains also offers some great off-leash dog areas. Click here to find out where they are.
Melbourne, VIC
Stately, stylish and arty, Melbourne is a fantastic location for you and your pooch. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the CBD are Darebin Parklands – 33 hectares of ponds, bushlands and designated walking tracks for you and your dog. It also has a large, off-leash area with creek access for a refreshing doggy swim. Melburnians loves pet almost as much as they love coffee so take your pooch along to Argos Loves Company, Dark Horse on the Brit or Kew Nursery and Café.
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
As if you needed more of a reason to want to explore the Sunshine’s Coast’s 100km of beautiful beaches, it just so turns out that 35 of these beaches are dog friendly – great news for you and your canine! Off-leash beaches and parks stretch the span of this idyllic coastline form Caloundra to Noosa. There’s also a great, popular dog walk to enjoy at Point Cartwright.
Phillip Island, Victoria
Sometimes national parks aren’t the best bet for four-legged friends, but that’s where Phillip Island is a little bit different. Home to popular Penguin Parade, Phillip Island offers plenty of dog-friendly cottages and beaches. What’s more, Phillip Island also hosts a Companion Dog Club which will give visiting owners a chance to socialise with locals, and fun events like dog fashion parades.
Margaret River, WA
While your pooch may not be so welcome at one of the region’s superb wineries, Margaret River also has a lot to offer travellers who can’t stand the thought of going a day without their four-legged friend. Pick of the bunch is Redgate Farmstay, which offers six cottages with large fenced gardens for you and your dog. Dogs can run off leash in the paddocks or at nearby Gnarabup Beach.
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