The sand at NRMA’s Phillip Island park in Cowes is metres from the sites. From 1 December it is also largely off limits to dogs. Bass Coast Shire bans them from the island’s northern beaches from 10am to 5pm and 8pm to 7am until 30 April, and from Cowes Main Beach at all times. Depending on the stretch, that leaves a dog six hours a day on the sand outside the gate, or none.
A dog-friendly park is only half the booking. In summer, the beach runs on a different rulebook.
How we picked
Each park had to say on its own website that dogs are allowed on powered sites, sit within about two hours of the CBD (approximate, from the OSRM route planner in free-flowing traffic), and be near a beach where the council or land manager allows dogs. We read every policy on 11 November 2026 and have not stayed at these parks. Two needed exceptions: Canberra’s park is past two hours, and Darwin’s beach is in crocodile country, so no swimming.
The capital grid: where your dog can holiday this summer
None of these eight parks publishes a summer dog blackout (Broulee calls its pet sites seasonal). At three, the nearest sand has summer limits; at Broulee it is dog-free year-round.
One park per capital, checked 11 November 2026
Key
Assumptions: drive times are approximate, from the OSRM public route planner (CBD to park, free-flowing traffic), so real trips take longer. Pet rules from each park’s own website; beach rules from the council or land manager responsible. All checked 11 November 2026. Policies change: confirm with the park before you book.
Sydney: Werri Beach Holiday Park, Gerringong
| Drive from CBD | About 2 hours |
| Dogs allowed on | Dog-friendly sites and cabins, 365 days a year |
| Pet fee | Not published |
| Nearest dog beach | Werri Beach, opposite: off-leash only between the signs |
| Summer catch | Rest of the beach and dunes are dog-free |
The simplest pairing here. Kiama Coast Holiday Parks, a business unit of Kiama Municipal Council, welcomes pets 365 days a year, including long weekends and school holidays, and the off-leash sand is across the road, roughly Miller to Moore streets. Book by phone or email. One loose end: the parks’ FAQ says the Werri area runs sunrise to sunset, while Kiama Council lists no hours. Go by the signs.
Melbourne: NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park, Cowes
| Drive from CBD | About 2 hours |
| Dogs allowed on | Sites and selected cabins, year-round, subject to availability |
| Pet fee | Free on sites; $15 per pet per night in cabins |
| Nearest dog beach | Ventnor, off-leash all year, about 10 minutes’ drive |
| Summer catch | Northern beach limits 1 December to 30 April |
NRMA’s park page says dogs are welcome year-round, while Ingenia at nearby Newhaven bars pets from 24 December to 31 January and at Easter. NRMA’s pet policy keeps pets free on sites but warns some parks may limit numbers in peak periods. The beach out front is the trap, as the opening shows. Phillip Island Nature Parks names Ventnor as the one dog area that stays off-leash all year.
Brisbane: Kirra Beach Tourist Park, Coolangatta
| Drive from CBD | About 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Dogs allowed on | 80-plus powered sites, plus cabins, year-round; two dogs maximum |
| Pet fee | Not published |
| Nearest dog beach | Off-leash areas at Palm Beach and Tallebudgera, about 10 minutes’ drive |
| Summer catch | Dogs 200m clear of flagged swimming areas; Coolangatta Beach banned |
North of Brisbane, two parks we checked shut dogs out in summer: Bongaree on Bribie Island permits only assistance animals, and BIG4 Caloundra excludes pets in the summer holidays. Kirra Beach Tourist Park welcomes dogs year-round, on application, with proof of vaccinations, no dogs in tents and no Queensland restricted breeds. The City of Gold Coast has designated off-leash areas on Palm Beach and Tallebudgera Beach.
Perth: Mandurah Coastal Holiday Park, Mandurah
| Drive from CBD | About 55 minutes |
| Dogs allowed on | Caravan and camp sites, not cabins; two small dogs or one large |
| Pet fee | Not published |
| Nearest dog beach | Silver Sands, Wade Street to Priam Road, about 5 minutes’ drive |
| Summer catch | None listed; ask about peak dates |
The City of Mandurah allows off-lead dog exercise on more than 17km of coastline, and its brochure lists no seasonal hours for Silver Sands. Mandurah Coastal says pets are permitted on all caravan and camp sites, though another line on the same page says selected ones, so confirm your site. Declare your dog’s size at check-in; dangerous and restricted breeds under Western Australian law are not accepted.
Adelaide: Victor Harbor Holiday Park, Victor Harbor
| Drive from CBD | About 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Dogs allowed on | Pet-friendly powered sites, all year; two dogs with written approval |
| Pet fee | $20 per dog per night |
| Nearest dog beach | Foreshore, The Bluff to Chiton Rocks, about 1km by road |
| Summer catch | On-lead 10am to 6pm, October to March |
Hampshire Holidays welcomes dogs all year in selected accommodation, and the park lists its powered sites as pet-friendly. It is the only park here that publishes a site pet fee above zero: one dog for a week adds $140, where both NRMA parks charge nothing on sites. Victor Harbor council still lets dogs off-lead under effective control from 6pm to 10am even in daylight saving.
Hobart: BIG4 Hobart Airport Tourist Park, Cambridge
| Drive from CBD | About 15 minutes |
| Dogs allowed on | Allocated sites only, not cabins; declare breed and size |
| Pet fee | Not published |
| Nearest dog beach | Seven Mile Beach, Day Use Areas 2 to 3, off-lead, about 5 minutes’ drive |
| Summer catch | No dogs west of Area 2, 10am to 6pm, 1 December to 1 March |
This is not a beach park. We chose it because its dog rules are published and the off-lead sand is close. The park calls its dog conditions strict and limited and suggests calling reception before booking, so treat allocated sites as scarce in January. Clarence City Council keeps the stretch between Day Use Areas 2 and 3 off-lead, outside its summer ban.
Darwin: Darwin FreeSpirit Resort, Holtze
| Drive from CBD | About 15 minutes |
| Dogs allowed on | Selected powered sites (from $58, 11 November 2026) and some cabins; one dog per site |
| Pet fee | Not published |
| Nearest dog beach | Casuarina Coastal Reserve, off-lead under control, about 20 minutes’ drive |
| Summer catch | Crocodiles, all year: keep dogs out of the water |
FreeSpirit is a highway-side park, not a beach park, but it publishes exactly which sites take dogs. The NT Government lets controlled dogs off the lead from Rapid Creek to the Lee Point rocks, with leads around Sandy Creek and no dogs beyond to Buffalo Creek. The bigger rule is the water: Be Crocwise says pets should not swim, because crocodiles prey on animals, and to treat water in their range as unsafe unless signposted.
Canberra: NRMA Broulee Holiday Park, Broulee
| Drive from CBD | About 2.5 hours, past our limit |
| Dogs allowed on | Pet-friendly sites and cabins, year-round, subject to availability |
| Pet fee | Free on sites; $15 per pet per night in cabins |
| Nearest dog beach | Bengello Beach, off-leash 24 hours from McNee Street, about 500m; South Broulee, at the park gate, is dog-free at all times |
| Summer catch | Timeshare beaches such as Barlings: no dogs 9am to 5pm from 1 November |
Canberra is the one capital we could not keep within two hours: even Batemans Bay is a little over, and Broulee about half an hour past. It earns its place on the beach: the Eurobodalla list has dogs off-leash around the clock on Bengello, about 500m from the park. The park says year-round but also calls its pet sites seasonal: confirm dates.
The summer catch: beach rules change
Dog rules tighten in the warm months and the middle of the day, exactly when parks are fullest. Four beach managers above publish a summer window.
| Where | Summer rule | When |
|---|---|---|
| Eurobodalla timeshare beaches | No dogs 9am to 5pm | 1 Nov to 30 Apr |
| Victor Harbor foreshore | Leads on 10am to 6pm | Oct to Mar |
| Phillip Island northern beaches | No dogs 10am to 5pm and 8pm to 7am | 1 Dec to 30 Apr |
| Seven Mile Beach, west of Area 2 | No dogs 10am to 6pm | 1 Dec to 1 Mar |
Some year-round rules bite hardest in summer: Gold Coast dogs must keep 200m from flagged swimming areas, and Eurobodalla reminds owners that dogs are not allowed in national parks (our national park camping fees guide covers the parks themselves). Councils rewrite these rules, too: Sunshine Coast Council brought in new ones from 3 July 2026.
Watch out: park rules stop at the gate. The sign at the beach access is the rule that applies.
Packing for a dog in a holiday park
- A lead for all day. NRMA, Kiama Coast and Hampshire require leads in the park.
- Vaccination and registration papers. Kirra Beach requires proof of vaccinations and council registration, plus a signed waiver.
- Two water bowls and shade. The RSPCA advises plenty of cool, fresh water, a spare bowl and a shaded, ventilated spot.
- A walk plan around the heat. The RSPCA says: on hot days, walk early or late and avoid hot sand, which suits the hours summer beach rules leave open.
- Poo bags. Bass Coast local law requires you to carry one on council land.
- Tick prevention. The University of Sydney vet hospital recommends it year-round on much of the east coast.
- A plan for going out. NRMA bans leaving pets unattended, even in caravans, and the RSPCA warns an animal can die in a hot car in six minutes. Our summer touring set-ups guide helps keep the van cool.
Book the park now, check the beach the week you go
Five of these eight parks say dogs are welcome all year. Beaches are where rules move: Sunshine Coast’s 2026 changes removed dogs from some beaches, and Phillip Island’s dog map was updated in November 2025. Book January early, get pet terms by email, and recheck the council page the week you leave. Every summer window above has closed by May, a fair case for the shoulder season. Our park rule changes report has the wider picture.
Images: Paul Mac, Monika Sojčáková, Brianne Farquhar and Peter Schulz on Unsplash.
