Otways & Great Ocean Road Dog friendly camping guide
Important Information
Always check up to date government safety information + dog-friendly status before visiting parks and remote areas. Before travelling speak to your vet for advice on hazards such as snakes, baits & ticks. This website contains ads + affiliate links.
Snooza has Australian Made dog beds
There are some really nice places to go camping with your dog in the Otways Ranges and Great Ocean Road and hopefully more will come in the future!
The Otways and the Great Ocean Road overlap in many places so I have grouped them together in this guide. I will add more sites as I find them.
Dog friendly Bush Camping
Stevensons Falls
Stevensons Falls campground is on Foresty Managed Land and surrounded by a mix of plantation and native vegetation.
The campground has a toilet and is free.
You can walk to Stevensons Falls from the campground or if you prefer a shorter walk jump in the car and drive to the picnic area to do the short walk to stevensons falls.
Lake Elizabeth
Lake Elizabeth is a tent only campground surrounded by towering gum trees, a short drive from the town of Forrest.
Its a great spot for a weekend away as there are dog friendly walks to Lake Elizabath as well as nearby Stevensons Falls. There is also dog dog friendly front tables at the brewery beer garden if you fancy some food.
For those who need a bit more to do, there are tens of kms of mountain bike tracks in the bush around the town as well as new pump track near town.
There no car/van camping at Lake Elizabeth, only tent camping. You can camp with vans at Stevensons Falls as there are many pull-in areas as well as grassy spots.
Dandos Campground
Dandos Campground is another dog friendly campground in the Otway Ranges that is located in the Otway Forest Park (You can find out more information in the vic gov ’more to explore’ app – dogs are allowed in most Forest Parks in Victoria with a few exceptions).
It’s a bit of a long windy drive on a gravel road in but this campground is very popular as it’s located on the Gellibrand River.
Dog friendly Beach Camping
Johanna Beach Campground
Johanna Beach campground is a dog friendly (on lead) campground on the Great Ocean Road that is a short walk from Johanna Beach which, a beautiful rugged beach on the coastline that often has huge waves. At low tide, there are rock pools to explore along the beach.
The campground does not have much shade, it’s more like paddock grassland and there is little designation between campsites so this is not the spot to go for a private camping experience away from others. You may wish to avoid this campground on hot days in summer due to the lack of shade.
Dog friendly Caravan Parks
Dog friendly Camping Apollo Bay
Marengo Caravan Park
Located 2km from Apollo Bay township the Marengo Ocean front Caravan Park in Apollo Bay has dog friendly campsites, some with gorgeous ocean views.
If you can’t be bothered camping they also have dog friendly accommodation options.
Other Camping Options
Hi Camps can be a great option to stay with your dog, they are particularly good for dogs that need a bit more space and don’t cope well camping next to other dogs or people. Hi Camps is like air bnb for private land, your renting a campsite on private property.
Make sure you use the ‘pets allowed’ filter and this affiliate link will give you $10 credit towards your first stay (new sign ups only).
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