Pet friendly road trips in Victoria

The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia's most famous drives and one of the most complicated for dog owners.

Much of the most spectacular scenery along the Great Ocean Road sits inside Great Otway National Park or other protected areas where dogs are either prohibited or restricted to specific sections. The Twelve Apostles viewing area, Loch Ard Gorge, and most of the dramatic coastal lookouts are national park land.

This does not make the Great Ocean Road off-limits with a dog. It means planning which stops you can make and which you cannot. The Great Otway National Park does have specific dog-friendly sections including Lake Elizabeth and areas around Forrest. Anglesea, Lorne, and Apollo Bay all have council-managed beach and foreshore areas where dogs are welcome.

The most practical approach to the Great Ocean Road with a dog is to do the drive eastbound from Warrnambool to Torquay. This direction has you doing the dramatic national park sections first with the understanding you will be staying in the car, then arriving at the more dog-friendly eastern end near Torquay and Anglesea with options for beach time.

Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula is the best road trip destination in Victoria for dogs. Close to Melbourne, genuinely dog-friendly, and offering a completely different experience depending on which side of the Peninsula you explore.

The bay side is calm, gentle, and suited to all dogs. The Mount Martha Beach Walk passes through four separate off-leash areas. Safety Beach is long and flat. Rye Dog Beach is reliable year-round.

The hinterland between the two coasts has excellent dog-friendly wineries including Simon Tolley with their monthly Pinot and Pooch Days, Nepenthe, and Petaluma. The Red Hill trail through the hinterland is dog-friendly and beautiful.

Miss Drew's Bakery and Dog Cafe in Tyabb is worth the trip on its own. A cafe built specifically for dogs. Treat it as a destination in its own right.

The Grampians and Western Victoria

The Grampians National Park is largely off-limits to dogs, as is the case with most Victorian national parks. The views and walking tracks that make the Grampians famous are almost all inside park boundaries.

The town of Halls Gap has dog-friendly options and the surrounding state forest areas permit dogs on leash. The drive through the Grampians is still worth doing for the scenery even if your walking options are limited.

The Pyrenees wine region and the Macedon Ranges are significantly more dog-friendly than the Grampians. Both have excellent cellar doors, cool-climate landscapes, and a relaxed pace that suits dogs well.

High Country and Northeast Victoria

Northeast Victoria, the region around Bright, Beechworth, and the Alpine area, is one of the most underrated dog-friendly road trip destinations in the state.

Bright in autumn is genuinely extraordinary. The deciduous trees turning creates some of the best colour in Australia and the town is welcoming to dogs. The Ovens Valley has good walking along the river and several dog-friendly cafe stops through the main street.

Beechworth is a beautiful heritage town with outdoor dining options that welcome dogs and good walking throughout the surrounding bushland.

Note that the Alpine National Park itself does not permit dogs. The state forest areas surrounding the Alpine areas do permit dogs on leash and offer good alternatives.