Dog Friendly Weekend Breaks On The Great Ocean Road

No one wants to leave their best buddy alone at home or on a leash outside, which is why we’ve created this list of dog-friendly places along and close by the Great Ocean Road.

Parks

The majority of regional parks and forests in Victoria allow you to bring dogs with you, assuming that they’re on leads. Why not take your four-legged friend for a relaxing (or challenging!) walk through some of Victoria’s most beautiful lush parks and forests? Always check the rules of individual parks — some may let you take your dog off their lead!

• Check the Parks Victoria website

Beaches

When it comes to dog-friendly weekend breaks, you can’t beat beaches. Especially on the Great Ocean Road! Little Fluffy will love nothing more than to run around a beach feeling totally free, stumbling over the sand and doggy-paddling around in the waves. There are many beaches around which allow dogs to have fun without being stuck on a lead. This includes Whites Beach in Torquay, Mouth Beach in Aireys Inlet, North Lorne Beach, The Great Ocean Walk, and more.

• Do check the rules for each beach, as restrictions may apply at certain times and seasons.

Waterfalls

Few natural wonders are more breathtaking than waterfalls, and your canine friend is sure to enjoy the amazing landscape surrounding Victoria’s impressive waterfalls. For example, the Otways is just slightly inland from the Great Ocean Road, and here you can find a huge array of picturesque waterfalls to complement your dog-friendly weekend break. 

For instance, the 20-metre-high Beauchamp Falls is very impressive after a somewhat strenuous walk there, while Carisbrook Falls can be reached via an easy 10-minute walk. It doesn’t matter how fit/old you and your dog are — there’s a waterfall trek to suit everyone in the Otways!

Restaurants

Although there are many great pubs and restaurants along the Great Ocean Road, the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse is one of the few which allows dogs to come and join in on the fun!

The pub’s dog-friendly beer garden is the perfect place for you and your furry friend to unwind — soak up the sun, check out the amazing landscape, and have a pint with man’s best friend! 

How many dog-friendly restaurants do you know that serve their own doggy beer?! At the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse, they serve “Beerdog’s Bitter”, a special alcohol-free brew which is designed to appeal to the taste buds of dogs, mimicking the taste of a pint but without giving Fido a nasty hangover!

As a local Craft Beer destination, they serve a wide range of craft beer concoctions, including the full range of Prickly Moses, a very popular local beer here in Apollo Bay. Order a Prickly Moses beer paddle and both doggy and you have something excited to try!

Tastes of the Region

Behind the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse, you will find Tastes of the Region, the Great Ocean Road’s one and only dog-friendly tasting room.

Here you can try some exciting local brews including the full-range plus specialty brews from Prickly Moses handcrafted Beer. They also offer wine tastings, along with a fantastic selection of local produce from the Otwaysand Great Ocean Road regions that you can take home with you.

You’ll find locally made cheese, premium meat products, herbs and spices, delicious chocolates, a range of jams, chutneys and oils, locally produced honey, and lots of other tasty treats as well as handcrafted gifts and souvenirs.

But the best of all, your furry friend is allowed inside the Tastes of the Region building and what’s more, they’ll be taking a polaroid picture of your dog for the Dog Wall of Fame! A brilliant way to honour the canine patrons and give their owners something to boast about over a pint or two.

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