Post Comment

Travelling around OZ with a dog

Hi, my partner & I are trying to plan a 12 month working / caravaning trip around Australia with our dog & would love to hear from anyone who has done the same. We already have the Holidaying with Dogs book but would like to hear from anyone first hand regarding ideas on where to go and what to see, problems you've encountered and hurdles you've jumped. We'll be leaving from Perth.

Look forward to hearing from anyone with pet holidaying experiences!

Posted By Bex on Wednesday 10th October 2007 @ 18:46:37

Updated : Tuesday 22nd May 2012 @ 01:36:09 | Words : 82 | Views : 12548 | Comments : 67

COMMENT | PRINT | EDIT

1).

Hi, My partner & I are also planning to tour with our dog. I look forward to seeing some replies to your post.

If i get any tips mean while, i will let you know.

Cheers

Posted By Krystle on Monday 22nd October 2007 @ 16:47:13

2).

Hi,

A friend and I went travelling in Oz last year with his dog (Jack Russell) which we thought we cause problems but was far easier than expected. We always stayed in hostels, holiday camps, lodges etc which were always fine as long as we stayed in our own rooms (i.e. not in a dorm). Sometimes we would call the hostel ahead to check but on the whole it was fine. We used a couple of good websites offering loads of accommodation details. We traveled West Coast, East Coast, Alice Springs and NZ.

Posted By Alex Barder on Monday 22nd October 2007 @ 18:24:51

3).

Hi, your pet needs to be microcichipped, for safe return if lost and you need a very good tick wash, and use it every week. Find out from your vet which is the bad areas for heart worm, all the best Rob.

Posted By Rob Convery on Monday 12th November 2007 @ 04:46:51

4).

Hi Guys,
My wife and I are also in the last couple of months of planning to take us and our dog (Jack Russell - Maximus) around OZ for 12 months. The most obvious thing that restricts you seems to be no access to National Parks with your dog.

We have picked up a couple of really good books from RACV about camping around OZ with dogs, plenty of camp sites available.

The other thing we are looking into is dropping Max off at kennels occasionally if there is NP that we are dying to see (ie, Kakadu) but this can be expensive so will be limited. Have fun, hope to see you out there somewhere!

Cheers, Jim

EMAIL : JamesColla@bigpond.com

Posted By Jim on Sunday 18th November 2007 @ 21:29:58

5).

I would be really interested in seeing how you guys go too, my husband and i are planning on doing the same.

EMAIL : Kirstyjarvis@hotmail.com

Posted By kirsty on Friday 28th December 2007 @ 13:33:20

6).

Mick & I are heading around Australia in April, we have a terrier who is 11 years old we are a little concerned if we are doing the right thing, is there any advice that would be of any help.
Hope to see you all out there.
Barb

EMAIL : barbra_ward@bigpond.com.au

Posted By Barbara Ward on Monday 4th February 2008 @ 10:19:12

7).

Hi Guys,
My wife and I are about 3mths away from traveling around with our dog. Visiting National Parks will be a problem and would have to leave our little mate in a Kennel. Shame we could not tag up with others on ocassion and look after each others dogs when needed.

EMAIL : steve.duffy@bigpond.com

Posted By Steve Duffy on Saturday 19th April 2008 @ 07:29:17

8).

My husband & I are about to head off to work & travel around Oz for about 12 months with our 2 yr old Jack Russell too. I have researched into accommodation & kennels if we need them but have been a little concerned about him being in the car so much & being restricted to where we can go. Would love to hear some suggestions too.

Posted By Caroline on Sunday 20th April 2008 @ 21:16:20

9).

Hi, my partner and I are planning our trip around Australia for 2009 in a camper trailer with our labrador. I have picked up a couple of books which are "Camps Australia wide" by Philip Proctor which looks like it could be very useful as it gives you many caravan parks and rest areas and their facilities and contact details.

This tells you whether or not they allow dogs. I think version 4 is currently out and can be found at www.campsaustraliawide.com.

Another book I have is Bush camping with dogs, published by Flat Earth Camping. This also has places to stay with contact numbers etc. I have heard that some National Parks have places where you can check in your dog for the day while you visit the parks. I'm not sure which ones or where so I would be grateful for any info on this.

Happy travelling all you puppies!!!

EMAIL : georgepaws@hotmail.com

Posted By Hayley on Monday 9th June 2008 @ 09:28:03

10).

HI

Where can I find the "Holidaying with Dogs" book?

Cathie

EMAIL : cathie.glanz@intimo.com.au

PHONE : 0448509146

Posted By Catherine Glanz on Thursday 4th September 2008 @ 15:22:59

11).

Website to get book - though I have not yet seen book and can't make recommendation good or bad.

http://www.exploroz.com/Shop/Books/Misc/Holidaying_with_Dogs.aspx

Posted By Jezebel on Thursday 25th September 2008 @ 20:44:44

12).

Greetings everyone. We took 10 months to travel around Oz with our Maltese. It was great and not too inhibitive.

The biggest hurdles are National Parks and accommodation but it is generally fairly easy to check them into a kennel for a day or two so you can visit these parks. The only one we really had trouble with due to its remoteness was Purnululu (Bungle Bungles. Other than that, some caravan parks were a bit unfriendly (although surprisingly not Yulara) but most were really good, just so long as you kept your dog under control and on a leash. Beaches are a bit of a bummer in QLD. Many don't allow dogs and of course, travelling through Cape Trib migh prove a little difficult. El Questro in the Kimberelys was also great.

If you need to leave your dog in your car, make sure you have a bowl of water in a seat well for them, cover all the windows to minimise any heat and always try and park in the shade. If you can tether them outside the car, even better. This way, they can lie down under the car for shade (just don't forget the water). For kennels, leave a favourite toy and pillow or towel with them so they don't fret.

Oh, and one more thing, expect to have a few sleepless nights when you are camping. They like to keep watch and can get excited when the roos get too close (but they are great watch dogs).

Hope this helps.

EMAIL : fsdawson@yahoo.com.au

Posted By Fee on Tuesday 21st October 2008 @ 12:02:28

13).

Hi and thanks for your info on travelling with a dog. Our biggest concern is travelling through El Questro.

You said that it was 'great'. Does that mean they allowed you to camp with your pet?

Or did you find a kennel?

Any info would be really helpful.
Please write back.

EMAIL : andreotto@bigpond.com

Posted By Andre Otto on Sunday 28th December 2008 @ 14:27:52

14).

Hi, Me and my partner are planning on travelling around australia with our two dogs in Dec 09. Has anyone had any trouble in doing this. They are both a large breed Staffy x and Doberman x. They are no troubles in the car. Has anyone had trouble with what season you travel, as I've heard that some places don't allow dogs in 'peak' season... Looking forward to reading your thoughts.

EMAIL : stablerc@hotmail.com

Posted By Claire on Monday 2nd February 2009 @ 11:17:09

15).

Hi we are also planning the big trip around oz and would love to hear how people with dogs go

Beth

EMAIL : merseygirl@primusonline.com.au

Posted By beth on Tuesday 5th May 2009 @ 20:58:11

16).

Hi, we have been travelling for nearly 8 months with my mini foxy. We started in Newcastle and have gone the coast road to Cooktown and are now travelling through inland to the Northern Territory. We have found it not too bad, a little restrictive at times, but still quite easy.

We have visited places like the Wallaman Falls, where we left her for a few hours at the kennels about 1/2 hour drive away. Paronella park was extremely dog friendly. They watch your dog on their balcony while you wander the park, they also allow the dogs to stay in their caravan park the night.

Most caravan parks will allow dogs as long as they are under control, but no Big 4 parks at all.

We went on a 1 hour cruise on the Daintree River at Daintree, and the cruise organiser was quite happy to watch Squirt while we were away.

There are 2 caravan parks at cape tribulation where you can stay, and the beaches there are dog friendly but have to be on a leash.

If you want to visit the Undara Lava tubes, the Bedrock Village caravan park at Mt Surprise pet mind while you go on the tour (only through their tour though). Plus this park is one of the best we have visited, clean and friendly and not alot of rules.

The Holidaying with Dogs book is available from most book stores, and has a list of pet friendly accommodation and pet sitters for the states, which we have found helpful. The Camps 5 book is really good for rest areas and cheap campgrounds that allow dogs. Also some state forests and National parks allow dogs - and is in this book.

Hope this helps, and hoping for more dog friendly places in the north and west.

Posted By The young hobos (or nomads) on Wednesday 10th June 2009 @ 16:16:21

17).

My patner and I have just travelled from SA to FNQ and had a lttle trouble in only a few places. Kalbarri in WA where we were turned away from caravan parks that advertised that they allowed dogs but in most caravan parks we had very little trouble but we did find that they prefer small dogs.Lakeside Van Park in Kunnurra WA has a section of the park just for travellers with pets. We have a ridgeback x mastiff

EMAIL : durango@live.com.au

Posted By Roz on Thursday 19th November 2009 @ 20:48:51

18).

Australia is not a dog friendly location. Most parks and ALL national parks prohibit dogs. My wife and I just returned from the NSW mid north coast and could not find anywhere to walk our 2 small dogs other than along the street. Goodness knows what damage an old chihuahua and small fox terrier can cause to a national park or beach.

Posted By Bill on Wednesday 6th January 2010 @ 22:33:25

19).

We are about to head off on a trip around oz and we have to large dogs (boxer x bull mastiff) i was worried that some caravan parks wouldn't accept them because they are so big. I would appreciate anyone comments on large dogs. We leave in a month and are seriously considering putting them in a kennels for the whole time. But i don't wany to do that if i can get out of that.

EMAIL : jkm_05@bigpond.com

Posted By Kristy on Wednesday 27th January 2010 @ 19:04:52

20).

Hi,

My partner and I are currently travelling Oz in our camper trailer with our lovely lab. We are all having a great time and my 4 year old "puppy" is having an absolute ball! It is quite easy to travel with your dog because a surprising number of caravan parks accept dogs (most with a good behaviour bond from $20 - $50) and there are numerous other camp spots/ camp grounds to camp at with them. My labrador loves swimming and playing ball and there are numerous beautiful beaches where they are allowed. We are travelling for over 10 months and didn't want to leave our dog behind and I would tell others to do the same. As long as your dog is reasonably well behaved and you keep them on a lead (when signs say to do so!) and pick up after them then you shouldn't have any problems. We wanted to go to several different National Parks (which we have) so did some forward planning and found suitable/reasonable boarding kennels for a day or overnight. The only one we're having problems with is the Bungle Bungles National Park, all the others have been fine.

If you want to check out our blog, please feel free ...
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/cruizin-in-the-green-machine/
and contact me if you have anymore questions. I would be happy to help if I can.

You may be able to give me some valuable info too!

cheers
Hayley

ps. I have previously recommended the Campsaustralia book which has been a fabulous resource for us (see other blog from June 2009 below)

Posted By Hayley on Monday 8th March 2010 @ 16:36:47

21).

Hi Bill,
Im from the mid north coast and i have three maltese x.
its a shame that you didnt find anywhere to walk your doggies because there are plenty of beaches around coffs (where i grew up)and tweed/gold coast (where i now live) and there are caravan parks where you can take your pets.
Im not sure about national parks though. I have read that there are a few around Aus that let you take your dogs on leads.
Hopefully you have better luck next time :)

Posted By Crazy dog lady! on Thursday 18th March 2010 @ 12:19:53

22).

Hi,
my husband and i are planning on travelling around Aus with our three 'kids' maltese x's. I am a massage thearpist so i was thinking i could set up my table in the annex of the caravan and massage for a living.
im not sure if that would be allowed tho.
Does anyone know if it is?
i have been doing a bit of research on taking the dogs and it seems as if quite a few people do it so it cant be too hard!!
cheers :}

Posted By Crazy dog lady! on Thursday 18th March 2010 @ 13:34:49

23).

Hi

I travelled around Australia about 8 years ago and am about to do it again. One of the caravan parks I stayed at in Port Douglas had a hair dresser who worked from her caravan. She was a permanent resident though. Another girl I met up there started doing the same thing.

Maybe check with the caravan park you are staying at. If they are not too keen on the idea offer to give them a small commission.

Hope this helps a little. Goodluck.

EMAIL : ezahext@hotmail.com

Posted By eza on Thursday 1st April 2010 @ 23:43:26

24).

Hi
My boyfriend and i are planning a working holiday around Australia staying in our camper trailer, leaving early next year.

We were wondering how you found travelling with your dog. We would love to take our dog with us, but are concerned about accomodation and work.

Any information or hints would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Tracey

EMAIL : rosie_5878@hotmail.com

PHONE : 0401 623 290

Posted By Tracey Delforce on Wednesday 2nd June 2010 @ 18:28:49

25).

Like you I am planning to work and travel around Oz with my 2 little dogs.

I would love to know how you get on.

I will have to work and am wondering what do I do with my 2 dogs whilst I am at work. I have a malt x and a chihuahua x.

Enjoy your trip.

EMAIL : wemyss59@yahoo.com.au

PHONE : 0417680836

Posted By Judy-Ann on Tuesday 15th June 2010 @ 11:02:29

26).

hello you-all

my husband, our lab Marley and I have been travelling in a campervan for the past 6 weeks or so (and another 8 months to go). We've started in Sydney to go up north along the coast and have been going west for the past couple of days.

Even though we travel with Camps 5 and our dog is well trained and even a "Search and Rescue" dog, we find it extremely difficult as everywhere we seem to go dogs are not allowed. Yes, you can take your dog into certain campgrounds, but they are never allowed off leash and you hardly find a place to go where you can actually take your dog for a run or a bit of fun. Certainly dogs are not allowed in NP, which seem to be everywhere where there's something remotely interesting, you cant take them on a hike, because most likely the park you want to hike in is a NP again and today the most ridiculous thing of all: just outside Mount Isa is Lake, wildest outback, and there are actually signs "no dogs". I am sorry but it doesnt get more ridiculous than that. So you can have a dog as long it stays in your yard - or on the back or your truck. Stupid. If anyone would have told us up front, we would have spent our year off in North-America and saved AUD5000 for travel and quarantene.

EMAIL : jwoerler@web.de

Posted By Judith on Thursday 23rd September 2010 @ 23:49:21

27).

I sympathise with you. The fact that Nation Parks don't allow dogs even on a leash is pretty unfair. I can understand if they were off-leash and there were some endangered animals or ones likely to be injured by a dog but there should be some areas of National Parks where Dogs can be exercised at least on their lead.

Posted By Mick on Friday 24th September 2010 @ 15:09:50

28).

Bill, I don't think it's about the size or age of your dog. A dog is a dog and if they allow one dog then they set a presedence to allow all dogs.

Posted By Michelle on Sunday 7th November 2010 @ 12:27:23

29).

I'm in the processing of travelling but for those of you with a dog/s if you are ever in the Umina Beach/Gosford area there are a lot of places to exercise your dogs. Down at the southend of Umina Beach is a dog free area and Saturday mornings at about 09:00 the Lab Club and up to 90 dogs turn up for a run around. My dogs are friendly but I take them to Ettalong near the boat shed and the tide goes out almost to the middle and they run and swim and I can't stop them from annoying other dogs there. You can visit but don't stay - it still is our best secret okay!!!

EMAIL : btcrl@yahoo.com.au

PHONE : 02)43444720

Posted By Carole on Sunday 28th November 2010 @ 11:41:02

30).

Hi everyone!

My boyfriend and I are leaving early February, from Tasmania, to travel around Australia for a year (give or take a few months). We are travelling with our 3 year old maltese! He loves car travel, and people, and based on everyone elses responses I'm guessing that it will be challenging, but not impossible. I just simply could NOT leave him behind!!

I was wondering if anyone has any tips about what to do with your dog when you find a job? And in response to the lady who wants to do massage therapy from the annex of her van, I'm a beautician and am planning to do the EXACT same thing!

We will be heading east first after being in Melbourne for a month so if anyone is on a similar timeline, let me know. Maybe we can look after each others dogs at times?

Thanks!
Maxibon's Mum!

Posted By Maxibon's Mum on Tuesday 7th December 2010 @ 22:00:40

31).

I am about to travel oz, on a solo trip. and I would like to get a dog to take with me, .. any suggestions on a good dog to get for the trip. I am liking the staffys, yet am open to any information.

EMAIL : colourblu@hotmail.com

Posted By eighty8four on Sunday 12th December 2010 @ 22:16:15

32).

Sorry I don't have any travelling with dogs advice (though we and our dogs are mighty jealous!), I do know why dogs aren't allowed in National Parks. 1080 baits are designed to attract foxes, and dogs love 'em. The poison kills quickly and painfully. If you kept your dogs safely on lead, native animals are still going to be frightened by their scent. We love hiking and camping, and we knew that getting dogs would restrict our options, but hey, most choices in life have pros and cons. Happy travels!

Posted By Peebes on Sunday 12th December 2010 @ 23:24:36

33).

hi there guys! im jealous lol..... my parnter and i are planning and have been planning our trip around oz and not coming back to a base just selling everything and going with my 2 chihuahuas. We heading off when my daughter 15 finishes school and she is settled in life which can be less than 3 years shes smart lol..... I would love to hear your adventures with your dog and any tips u come across...... i no one thing when cum into a town theres alwsys a info centre go there first ya get lots of info privately from the employer there ...... happy travels........take care of ya all

EMAIL : dawn_rawson@yahoo.com.au

Posted By dawnie on Friday 17th December 2010 @ 01:00:11

34).

My husband and I are currently travelling around Aus. on a working holiday with our 2 red cattle dogs. We left with one dog and ended up purchasing the other to keep the first company while we're not around.

We've been travelling for 3 months and so far we haven't had any hassles. We stay in free camps most of the time that we find in camp books, that inform us if we can/can't have the dogs.

We have on occasions had to leave the dogs alone due to us working, wanting to national park, shop, etc. We have tied the dogs up to our caravan with plenty of water, a few toys and usually a bone. We have not had any hassles doing this. Before we left we kept our pre holiday purchase dog on a rope on occasions to prepare him and let him know that being tied up was ok! we found the majority of the time he was tied up he just slept.

While we were skeptical about travelling with a dog we are really glad we did! Both our dogs are great guard dogs and great company :)

Posted By Rebecca on Wednesday 4th May 2011 @ 22:30:35

35).

Hi, My husband and I travelled round Australia with a border collie, was concerned to start with as the first caravan park we stayed at was terrible not dog friendly at all no where to run the dog and she had to poo on rocks . we decided to stay in freebies or shire sites which was fantastic no problems at all and when we wanted to go out for dinner or go to a national park we used dog sitters and they were really cheap and our dog got to play with other dogs, highly recommend it. were off next year to do the same thing in America and yes were taking our dog....good luck
lesley

EMAIL : lesley.booragoon@harveyworld.com.au

PHONE : 0400190611

Posted By lesley on Tuesday 7th June 2011 @ 18:43:29

36).

Hi Lesley and everyone else,

I have never heard of dog sitters? Are they easy to come by? And how did you track them down?

EMAIL : glen.fields@qcomp.com.au

PHONE : 0421472675

Posted By Glen on Tuesday 21st June 2011 @ 15:11:56

37).

hi leslie we also would like to know about dog sitters and is there a book that lists shire sites. We are thinking of going away for 3 months and taking our border collie with us and although she is trained and well behaved she has never been away in the caravan but travels well in the car on long distances. Had your border collie done a lot of travelling in your van and any hints we should know about travelling with a dog

Posted By rose on Wednesday 29th June 2011 @ 21:52:49

38).

we have a shepard and a wrottiee both are very friendly and great with all people and kids ,we wont to take them with us on a working round aust holiday

EMAIL : kelvinserong@yahoo.com.au

PHONE : 0437419434

Posted By kelvin&marilyn serong on Sunday 3rd July 2011 @ 20:34:08

39).

This place looks great and they look after your dogs for u while u do day trips.
http://www.bedrockvillage.com.au/

EMAIL : catlscott2010@gmail.com

PHONE : 61432694799

Posted By Catherine Scott on Sunday 11th September 2011 @ 15:13:20

40).

My partner and I travelled around Oz 2 years ago without our dog as we thought he would hold us back. But 2 weeks after we left we missed him so much spolit our trip and it turns out we would have been able to have him. Hundreds of people have dogs and manage to find people to watch their dogs while they go explore and then you pay them back the next day by minding their dog. We are heading off again next year and will be taking him this time :)

Posted By Belinda Bright on Friday 16th September 2011 @ 20:05:57

41).

Hi All

My partner and i have to relocate back to Melbourne in March 2012 for work and we are driving back with our two dogs, we are planning pretty much a 4 day trip between Perth and Adelaide making overnight stops in Coolgardie, Mundrabilla, Ceduna. Can anyone out there help me find some pet friendly accommodation options, they are small dogs maltese X's. At home they are pretty much indoor dogs and sleep inside on their beds.

Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and happy travels to you and you four legged buddies.
Cherie.

EMAIL : desomme@bigpond.com

Posted By Cherie on Tuesday 18th October 2011 @ 15:38:18

42).

If you expect problems travelling with a dog, then you'll probably find them! We never thought twice about taking our dog with us, even though she was 15 years old when we left. What was the alternative? Have her put to sleep, when she's still okay? Leave her to spend her final years with some one else? Absolutely not!

Bill, I find your comments very strange, as we have also been travelling around the mid north coast of NSW and haven't had any problems, in fact, we've had no problems anywhere since we started travelling from Airlie Beach 8 months ago. We bought a 2-person tent and pet fencing from Sam's Warehouse.

Some pet-friendly caravan parks have a rule that dogs must not be left unsupervised in the van, but we've found that if you explain that you want to go out without the dog, and make arrangements with them, most of the time they are fine with it, as long as the dog doesn't bark or whine while you're gone.

We stay out of NPs, but have found great campsites near NPs, for example, Little Styx River campground west of Dorrigo is right at the entrance of the New England NP. We use the Camps Australia Wide #5, but ring ahead to make sure the information is still current.

When you become a dog 'parent' you make a commitment for the term of the dog's life, regardless of how your own lifestyle changes. We've met so many people travelling with dogs, and NEVER encountered any problems. Just get out there and do it!

EMAIL : julesvee@hotmail.com

PHONE : 0427204389

Posted By jules on Tuesday 22nd November 2011 @ 11:03:33

43).

Thanks Jules, I totally agree. A dog is part of the family and should be treated as such, they are great company and they love to travel.

Posted By Mick on Tuesday 22nd November 2011 @ 11:24:23

44).

My fiance and I are going to be travelling around Australia for about a year, leaving at the end of this week! We're taking our 4-month-old staffy pup with us.

I've started a blog to document the trip, if anyone's interested in reading it:

http://ozgypsies.wordpress.com/

EMAIL : gem_photo@hotmail.com

Posted By Gemma Palmer on Wednesday 11th January 2012 @ 07:44:03

45).

You can start your own Travel Blog for Free on Australian Explorer. Keep your friends and family upto date with a great blog.

Easy to sign up and easy to update and Free!!

http://blog.australianexplorer.com/

PHONE : 1800 22 55 88

Posted By Mick on Wednesday 11th January 2012 @ 23:42:19

46).

Taking your dog will undoubtedly give an extra dimension of pleasure to your trip though I have to say that West Australia particularly the SW area in which I travelled for 4 weeks recently with my terrier, seems much more dog friendly than SA, NSW and QLD - where I come from. I was amazed at the magnificent dog beaches in WA and the amount of accommodation and access dogs were allowed. Top town was Bunbury where the Tourist information give out maps of where you can take your dog off leash and accommodation that allows them. My dog learned how to behave well in a lot of situations he would not have access to in QLD Even the other dogs seemed friendlier, maybe they are better socialized. Rules for dogs seem much more restrictive in other states so be prepared. Taking my dog camping in WA was a great decision.

EMAIL : cairbair@optusnet.com.au

Posted By Carol on Tuesday 13th March 2012 @ 17:10:34

47).

We took our tour August 2010 until April 2011. While we went to many beautiful places many made it no fun to go to as they wouldn't allow dogs or were very restrictive.

The East Coast was particularly bad in the latter regard, camping grounds we were never allowed in the "nicest" ones or the ones close to CBDs or the beaches. Many times I actually wished we'd have chosen to travel North America instead of Australia as it seemed so VERY dog-unfriendly. Yet when going to towns - and we always take our dog with us - we met many nice people and very dog friendly people and as we seemed to be quiet exotic taking our dog into towns almost every other person asked if they could pet our dog or at least they'd go "ohhh, look at that puppy!" (and he's not a puppy but a full grown 32kg chocolate Labrador).

So I am convinced that legislation must change so you can actually bring your dog to more places, also people must realize that being a responsible dog owner you are not a threat to nature nor people.

So WA - being the biggest state anyway - does have many places where you can take your dog along: Monkey Mia - beautiful! Broome - with the most fantastic beach I have ever been to (and our dog as well!!!) - Coral Bay - in Fremantle there's even a brewery/pub where you can bring your dog!! - Alexander Bridge, a fantastic camp ground by the Hardy River - the Coast to Coast Hike between Albany and Busselton (I believe) where, at least on parts, we took our first proper hike with our dog after 4 months in Australia! - Denmark and then in SA Smokey Bay (near Ceduna) - VIC: Johanna Beach and Upper Yarra Reservoir - NSW: Jindabyne by the Threadbo River. But the dog friendliest of all states seemed to be Tassi!

Thing is, you can never really take your dog on long hikes or walks (except in Broom on the 20-something km long Cable beach) and in the South-West, so I am sorry to have to say that it was a relief to be back in Germany (and Europe in general) where you can take your dog pretty much anywhere without any hassle!
I did love Oz, but the Anti-dog thing is a big turnoff!

Posted By Judith on Wednesday 14th March 2012 @ 07:45:49

48).

Well what an Interesting mix of opinions and experiences. I have 3 dogs, 2 small and a Lab puppy only 12 weeks today and we are talking about travelling with dogs, kids and work. this has certainly given me food for thought.

EMAIL : nelradford@hotmail.com

Posted By Narelle on Sunday 18th March 2012 @ 16:17:17

49).

We love our dog and travel with her as much as we can with our business. Our business relies on being able to access weekend markets, festivals and other events to sell our wares and the rest of the week we are tourists.

Problem is a lot of events are now addopting the "no dog" rules which is now starting to affect our ability to make a living. They say to leave the dog at home but when you are traveling for months at a time doing a circuit that's not possible and the cost of putting a dog in a kennel beyond a couple of days is too prohibitive. Additionally some places you go there are no kennels and the nearest could be a couple of hundred K's in the oposite direction.

So, Kennels are not an option for us, besides that we consider our dog as part of the family. So now we try to channel our travel to dog friendly locations and our "tourist" dollars are spent with businesses that recognise that Pets are family too but that's becoming increasingly difficult.

I don't think they realise it yet but when thay say "no dogs" they are loosing potentially up to 60% of the traveling tourist dollars out there. These are the morons that keep complaining that the tourist industry is in hard times cause there not as many tourists anymore. In our travels over the past 2 years we've found that 3 out of 5 people that are traveling more than a month do it with their pets, mostly dogs. Wake up Australia! - There's an untapped market here wanting to spend money with you.

It annoys me with national parks saying that the reason dogs can't come in is because they'll scare the native wildlife - thats crap!. Think about this, a guide dog is exempt from that rule, so does this mean that the national parks have trained all the wildlife to recognise the difference between a pet and a guide dog?

Then these parks say their visitor numbers are down and they don't know why. Well that's because 3 out of 5 travellers on the road are forced to drive past your gate or face a fine! And I thought these people that run these parks were educated!.

If you think my figures are an exageration? check out these stats:
www.petsaustralia.org/pet-industries/industry-statistics/

Be sure to read the bottom paragraph titled "So What Can We Say About The Australian Pet Industry then?" And pass on this info to anybody who says "no dogs" perhaps will educate them.

EMAIL : sales@lasercrafts.com.au

PHONE : 0408795974

Posted By Steve on Tuesday 20th March 2012 @ 11:24:03

50).

Hi Steve,

I agree with you entirely and know your points only too well, however, I know that many places that used to allow dogs and don't now and actually have good reason. It is a case of the minority spoiling it for those of us who are good dog owners and respect rules. For example, some dog owners believe that when their dog is well behaved and won't run off and bother people or wildlife then the "dogs on leads" signs do not apply to them. This annoys me so much! The "dogs on leads" signs are there for many different reasons and should be adhered to. Many people are scared of dogs, especially the bigger dogs, and these people deserve respect as well. How do we over come this behaviour to the benefit of those people around us and our beloved pets? Also, my partner and I travelled for 10 months in a camper trailer from 2009-2010 so we know the expense of kennels and the problems associated with National Parks but how do we deal with this? We even had to miss out on some National Parks because we had no where for our labrador to go.
cheers Hayley

EMAIL : georgepaws@hotmail.com

Posted By Hayley on Wednesday 21st March 2012 @ 08:22:50

51).

Hi Hayley I have been travelling with my Dogs for several years. I believe that 99% of dog owners have respect for our unique wildlife within Australia and keep their dogs under control. Unfortunately the minority make it difficult for the responsible owners. I have contacted Parks and Wildlife in two states and have been told that you may drive through the parks as long as you dont take your dogs out of the car which unfortunately means you are not allowed to camp within the Parks. I have passed through Queensland Parks keeping my dogs in the car ( holidays without them are not an option.) I have found Free Camps Australia very useful and Bush Camping With Dogs Happy travelling with your best friends!

Posted By Christine Stevenson on Friday 23rd March 2012 @ 19:00:38

52).

Hello to all,
I am travelling with my 2 dogs to finish my bucket list. I am on my last stage of cancer and I would like to know if their are any other travellers who fossick and free camp leaving or vicinity of Qld. Also want to go over to Tasmania.

EMAIL : sro17781@westnet.com.au

Posted By Not Done Yet on Sunday 8th April 2012 @ 16:20:19

53).

Hi, I am on last stage of cancer and have 2 dogs with me. Leaving Townsville and looking at finding other like minded people who fossick and looking at heading over to Tasmania. Otherwise, any suggestions on where not to stop?

EMAIL : sro17781@westnet.com.au

Posted By Not Done Yet on Sunday 8th April 2012 @ 16:23:21

54).

its interesting reading everyones comments, we are going around australia to work. rest and play in june with our two dogs. An Australian blue heeler 12yrs and a jack russell 5yrs. both well behaved and do play well with other dogs. I could never leave them behind. As soon as we decided we were going to do it, it was always going to be the four of us. We would like to go to the eastcoast first but the comments are a little contradicting, i know CP are out, but i would mind other peoples dogs if they would do the same in order to visit these places. I guess more research and just go out there and see what happens.

EMAIL : deanleah12@bigpond.com

PHONE : 0438522613

Posted By Leah on Friday 13th April 2012 @ 22:56:24

55).

Network, network and network with others in the "same boat".. doggie minding at van parks if u wanna go pick fruit... and reciprocate... Lots of dogs welcome at caravan parks.. the thing is if u go out u have to keep them quiet! go figure.. so if u think of them like young kids and have them around other humans they will settle. Unfortunately can't go to National Parks , but there is sooo much else out there... Toilet stops for them as well 2 hourly.. and keep them on a lead at all times! No exceptions.. Sams wearhouse has doggie enclosures for $30 which can lay flat under the bed when not in use.I am embarking on "an endless road" retreat with my 2 fur kids.. don't forget the harnass for the car.. don't make them a flying missile in an accident, not to pretty on the inside of your windscreen and a hurt dog is a dangerous dog!

EMAIL : judenjazz@hotmail.com

Posted By jude on Saturday 14th April 2012 @ 01:59:49

56).

First a little note to everyone on this blog: please stop the "friendly lecturing" on how to behave and what to do and not to do with your dog, as I am pretty sure all people on this blog do exactly that anyway. Only people who don't take their dog everywhere don't have a clue about training their dog and keeping it well behaved.

Hello Not Done Yet,
generally we found the East Coast very dog-unfriendly yet there are some really lovely places you still can go to (they are not necessarily in the correct geographical order):
NSW:
Coff's Harbour - there's a good stretch of dog-friendly beach which is really nice
Bellingen Show grounds is a fantastic place to camp and the town is a wonderful artisty town with great pubs, restaurants and shops
Windham Reserve - just a little parking spot by the river and next to a Flying Dog reserve it is a beautiful and tranquil place, excellent for an overnight and a walk through the Reserve. The town has seen better times but the people are friendly
QLD:
Airlie Beach - is a hippie little town and even though there's not a whole lot to do WITH the dog you can stay in Flametree caravan park, which is very nice and a year and a half ago they had a weekly market where you were still allowed to take the dog (even though there were signs for No Dogs, the stand owners brought theirs along and we saw a lot of dog people around)
Saunders Beach - tiny spot for free camping on a lovely stretch of beach, all dog friendly. Great to stay for a few days to just kick back
Wongaling Beach / Mission Beach - there's a nice caravan park right by the beach with lovely Managers who have dogs on their own. Huge and long beach, great small town, superb Restaurant right next to the CPark, truly fantastic place! We met a group of people from NSW, VIC and SA who go there almost every year to stay there for about 2 or 3 months in winter.

TAS: Tasmania is fantastic and in general very dog friendly. We loved it and extended our stay by 2 weeks so stayed there 6 weeks in total. Could still have stayed longer. Everywhere you go is just really really great. Dogs usually no problem.

If you have time check out our blog "http://our-trip-to-oz.blogspot.de", it is bilingual, after each German article there's the same in English. We started the actual trip from Sydney up the coast in August 2010, so just start reading there and you'll find all the pros and cons about the places we've been to.

Good luck and most of all: enjoy it and have loads of fun!!!! The people you will meet on your travels are fantastic, so you should have a wonderful time.
All the best,
Judith from Germany

Three on our 9-months long trip around Oz we used dog sitters: one was just a "Doggy Day Care" in Cairns which was basically just 2 rooms with lots of dogs, a tiny stretch of outside around the house, and our lab hated it, you could actually see how miserable he was. The other one was a woman taking the dogs into her private home with yard but she didn't take the dogs for a single walk all day long, on top of that she lost our floating cong (worth 30$) in her house/yard. This was in Exmouth/WA (where people are really unfriendly even though they really depend on Tourism but that we found in lots of places. Another time we had our Lab in a Vet's day care and that was great.
We did manage a couple of times to dog sit each others dog with people in the caravan parks which always works great, but then it really depends what type of dog one has 'cause most people travel with smaller dogs.

Posted By Judith on Monday 16th April 2012 @ 22:52:58

57).

Great Blog! Just out of curiosity did you come across anyone massaging from their caravan? I am keen to do this soon. That way I can stay home with our four babies while my husband works here and there :}

Posted By Crazy dog lady on Thursday 19th April 2012 @ 20:18:26

58).

Hi
my husband and i are planning to move out of our rental and buy a caravan and travel around aussie working. We have a little dog HARRY but we have rang a couple of dog friendly caravan parks but they all say you cant leave the dog unattended? WHAT do you do , where do you go . We are in the north brisbane area for now . We want to do this but where do you stay thats pet friendly and you can work and leave ya dog at the caravan ,He would just sleep under the van no doubt and thats about it. Any ideas. is it really that hard , need help.

EMAIL : kristymiddleton@live.com

Posted By kristy& shane on Sunday 22nd April 2012 @ 13:58:07

59).

hi , we want to travel around oz WORKING and we have a little dog, where do you stay thats pet friendly and you can leave your dog at the caravan while you go to work during the day.

Posted By kristy& shane on Sunday 22nd April 2012 @ 14:04:09

60).

Internet from your caravan is easy. All it takes is an internet stick and your laptop. Many providers offer internet sticks but Telstra will give you be best coverage across Australia. Unless you're a high internet user where a plan will be best for you; most people find the prepaid offer of $150 per year for 10GB works for them.

EMAIL : nelradford@hotmail.com

PHONE : 61408828677

Posted By Narelle Radford on Monday 23rd April 2012 @ 08:57:11

61).

Hi
We recently travelled from Perth to Melbourne and we purchased a prepaid Telstra wifi from Australia Post, $99 with 5MB. Best thing we did, great service in towns were we stayed and fabulous for travel.

EMAIL : desomme@bigpond.com

Posted By Cherie on Monday 23rd April 2012 @ 20:53:19

62).

Hi everyone. We are planning to head off west in a couple of months on a long working holiday with our 13 yo deaf mastiff. We did a trip 3 years ago for 8 mths up the east coast almost to the tip and across to the centre and up to Darwin then back down the centre as had to come back early for family reasons. Our dog loved it and had his own home 2 live in.

Bcoz of our dog's breed-mastiff (he looks a bit like a labrador though) we found a lot of ppl did not want to park near us in the parks. They would drive by and wave and smile but as soon as puppy appeared they would keep going. It did stop us getting unwanted visitors but didn't make us a lot of friends unless we left our site.People do stereo type big dogs 4 sure.

We always kept him on a leash even when swimming but had a long rope and in remote areas he had a run. He got used to it and was happy as he had our company so much more than at home.Funny thing is other people always let their dogs run up to him and didn't seem to mind they jumped all over our dog but if the shoe was on the other foot I'm sure we would have been told.In Townsville they have fantastic dog runs where they all run around together-he loved it but we kept a responsible close eye on him as we always do.Some people don't care and their dogs get out of control.

No way to get into NP's but we knew that and would have used a day kennel if needed to.When we did work we did opposite hours to each other. My hubby worked some day hours and I packed supermarket shelves in the evening (not bad money)so one of us was always home with puppy. After all he is one of our children!

SO if you are travelling with your dog remember it is your choice not theirs, even though they just want to be with you, so you will have to accommodate them and be unselfish-they will love you for it.

Free parks are great but very popular and you still have to be a responsible dog owner. We are aware Khan is a big dog (yes small dogs are more popular with park owners BUT they can yap a heck of a lot)and so we know people are a bit wary of his breed so we don't stay in busy ones.

HAPPY TRAVELS EVERYONE.

Posted By 3rd time lucky from SA on Thursday 3rd May 2012 @ 17:15:04

63).

Hi, I love this last post from 3rd time lucky. You are exactly the person who should own a big dog. We have a labrador and we found the same when we were travelling. Our lab is a very soft labby but gets excited easily when he sees other dogs and his excitement could often be misunderstood for boisterous / aggressive behaviour when all he wanted was to rough and tumble with fellow doggies. We always kept him on a lead or long rope when he wanted to swim or run. Like you said, it was other peoples dogs who ran up to him and caused mischief. Loved the "travelling with dogs is your choice not theirs". Very well said and although our lab loved every minute of it, he is our baby and needed taken care of. Thanks for sharing :)

EMAIL : georgepaws@hotmail.com

Posted By Hayley on Thursday 3rd May 2012 @ 17:59:10

64).

WOW, I never thought when I originally started this post back in 2007 we'd have so many like minded pet lovers travelling with their furry friends!! Unfortunately we never made it on our planned 12 month trip around OZ (it's still a plan!!) but it's been really great to hear back from everyone and we're even more determined to get out there with our BIG baby, Harley the Great Dane. There have been so many posts that have struck a cord from the experiences we've had travelling locally in WA - none more so than "3rd time lucky" and your Big Dog experiences - we have EXACTLY the same response from fellow travellers initially!! Harley loves to travel with us (he's happy as long as he's with us) but we never ever take liberties when we travel and always have Harley on a lead or packed away safely - we respect that not everyone is a dog lover, especially of big dogs, no matter how cuddley we think he is! Although that said, the kids at sites or carparks or rest stops are always happy to pop over and introduce themselves to the "horse"! I think we've made more friends as a result of Harley being with us than we have without him!!
Thank so much to every single person who's contributed their experiences of travelling with a dog (or pet) to this post - keep 'em coming...we'll be out there soon!!! xx

Posted By Bex on Thursday 3rd May 2012 @ 18:40:38

65).

Yes our dogs are part of our family. It's our choice whether to take them on holidays with us or not. But if we do decide to take them, they should be our priority and not the National Parks or the Beaches or the Tourist Spots or worry about the inconvenience of it. I won't always travel with my dogs, as I want to visit friends in America, UK and Asia and will not subject them to any of the stress. But for sure, they are coming along with me anywhere I go for holiday here in Oz. I love my 2 Spaniels and I'm committed to them 100%! Are you?!

Posted By Mary on Monday 7th May 2012 @ 20:53:00

66).

Hey guys

We are about to set off over to WA for 6 weeks to explore potential places to live and work next winter i.e exmouth. we would love to stop in at the red bluff also for a few weeks to surf, we have a collie and an english bull terrier cross and have travelled before with no problems, they are great dogs! Although I completely understand the whole scary big dog mind set having my Bullie cross! I would love some info about WA, we will be driving the Nullarbor and up as far as Exmouth before heading back home, any info would be unreal. I'm not going to lie my partner and I are not quite agreeing on taking them, I need some great info so I can persuade him! Help! Also a tad worried on the 1080 baits and ticks. Thanks in advance for any advice!

EMAIL : natalieyeates@hotmail.com

Posted By Natalie on Thursday 10th May 2012 @ 13:21:07

67).

Hey guys, my husband and I are travelling around Australia in our camper trailer from January 2013 onwards, with our 1 year old son, and our mini poodle. We will be travelling south (from Central QLD) in January, but will be back up in Byron Bay for my brothers wedding in April, and then heading north and around from there. Anyone else in the same boat as us? Our biggest concern is our dog, but there is NO WAY I am leaving her behind.

EMAIL : lannny_@hotmail.com

PHONE : 0402629829

Posted By AJHBERT on Tuesday 22nd May 2012 @ 01:35:30