Dog friendly Accommodation In South East QLD

From camping sites to holiday apartments and houses on the beach, here are some of my favourite Great Dane friendly places to stay in South East QLD.

Living in Brisbane during covid restrictions and border closures was an opportunity for us to do more local travel. And local travel meant our Great Dane Pickle was always included in our travel plans.

I’m Sasha, Great Dane Mum and owner of Arctic Mist. A few years back I wouldn’t go more than a few months without an international holiday. But times have changed, and in recent years we have done lots of local travel with our Great Dane Pickle, particularly around South East QLD. Sadly Pickle passed away last year. But we recently welcomed a Great Dane puppy, Pumpkin, to our family. She is following in Pickle’s footsteps and will be joining us on many adventures.  

So I thought I’d share some of my favourite dog friendly places to stay in South East QLD, including things to do and accommodation links.

But before we move on, if you haven’t travelled with your dog before and you’re not sure where to start, check out my blog on planning a dog friendly holiday in Australia. It’s full of tips including things to think about before you go and what to pack.

There are lots of dog friendly campsites around Australia, and Hip Camp is a good place to start. You can enter the number of pets in your search, and the results will only show pet friendly options.

One of my favourite dog friendly places to camp is Gordon Country in Goomburra Valley. It is located over Cunninghams Gap between Aratula and Warwick, just over 2 hours drive from Brisbane. We have camped there countless times and first started going there years ago (well before Pickle’s time) when it was just a cattle farm with no facilities. It has changed a lot over the years, and they now have facilities, glamping sites and cabins.

Although the property and camp areas are dog friendly, they do not allow dogs inside the cabins (only in the fenced yard and verandas). We have never stayed in the cabins for that reason. If you go outside of school/ public holidays, you are likely to get a spot to yourself along the creek. However, to get the best camping spots you will need a 4WD. Access into Gordon Country is via a dirt road and there are sites near the entrance and office that can be accessed without a 4WD.

Dogs can be off leash, which is great. But take care as there are free roaming cattle and donkeys on the property. We like to go there to relax around a camp fire, but are there are lots of 4WD and walking tracks. If you don’t mind the cold you can swim in the creek, and if you go in winter take all your warmest clothes, it gets super cold!

Other places we like to camp include North Stradbroke Island, and Flanagan Reserve bush camping in Barney View.

There are lots of different camping areas on North Stradbroke Island. The rules around dogs seem to constantly change, so it’s best to check the Stradbroke Island website for up to date information on dog friendly camping areas and beaches. Stradbroke Island is 45 minutes by ferry from Cleveland. There is public transport on Stradbroke Island, however if you are taking your dog I recommend taking your car on the ferry. Keep in mind that dogs must be muzzled to get out of the car on the ferry. There are also dog friendly holiday houses on Stradbroke Island, see below for more details.

If you’re looking for a holiday house/ apartment, Holidaying with dogs is a great website to find dog friendly accommodation. Each property lists pet friendly features such as if the property is fenced, if dogs are allowed inside, and whether or not they provide things like dog bedding, bowls and poo bags.

Stayz, Airbnb, and booking.com have pet friendly filters in their searches. However, make sure you read the terms and conditions, as some places will only allow dogs outside or dogs up to a certain size. If the terms are not clear, reach out to the accommodation provider prior to booking. It’s better to be clear upfront than to have issues half way through your holiday!

Also make sure the accommodation layout is suitable, i.e. is your dog comfortable with stairs or a lift, is there a fenced yard or somewhere for your dog to do their business. If you're not sure, don't be afraid to reach out and ask. 

So here are some of my favourite places to stay:

We stayed in a nice 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment (Perfect Alex Beach Pad) in Alexandra Headland, just north of Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast. It is on the second floor and there are stairs to access the apartment. However, it has a huge terrace with a nice outlook, so it doesn’t feel like you are in an apartment. Dogs are allowed inside, but they are not allowed on the furniture or in the communal pool area.  

It is a short walk to the Headland and Mooloolaba. There are lots of dog friendly restaurants with outdoor seating along the esplanade in Mooloolaba, as well as sunset markets every 1^st and 3^rd Saturday of the month.

Mooloolaba beach is not dog friendly. However, Alexandra Headland Beach is dog friendly for dogs on leash, and there are several other dog friendly beaches just a short drive away.

Noosa Avalon Cottages are located on a 30-acre property 5 minutes from Pomona town and around 30 minutes’ drive from Noosa. There are 5 self-contained houses on the property ranging from a 1 bedroom cottage to a 3 bedroom homestead. They are all dog friendly and allow dogs inside. We stayed in Kangaroo Lodge, which has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. The cottage is super cute, has a great living area with beautiful views, and a massive spa. The beds are small (doubles), however I would still recommend it for a nice quiet weekend away.

Some of the cottages have secure decks for your dog. Kangaroo lodge has a fenced yard, but the fencing is to keep the cows out rather than dogs in. It was however fine for our Great Dane. The property is nice to walk around, there are native gardens and lots of wildlife and birds, as well as free roaming cattle, so you might need to keep your dogs on a lead.

Pomona is a small country town with a couple of restaurants, coffee shops and an IGA supermarket. There are local markets in Stan Topper Park on Saturday mornings which are dog friendly. They have lots of local crafts/ handmade items as well as food stalls.

Toowoomba is QLD’s largest inland city, and is known as the garden city. Lots of people visit in Spring for the iconic carnival of flowers. It is a very pretty city with lots of parks and gardens to explore.

We have stayed in Toowoomba a few times. However, my favourite place to stay is the Cosy Cat Cottage in Toowoomba City. The 3 bedroom cottage is a super cute renovated Queenslander. It is one of three original workers cottages listed on the heritage trail. This character listed cottage retains all the details and ambiance of its heritage charm, but has been renovated to provide modern amenities. There are 2 queen size bedrooms downstairs, and a loft with 2 single beds which is suitable for children. It has 1 bathroom with a big bath, an electric fire place in the living area, and a dog kennel on the back veranda which is suitable for small/ medium dogs. The backyard is fully fenced, however there are stairs from the back deck to get into the yard.

Dogs are allowed inside the cottage, just not in the carpeted bedrooms or on the couches. The bathroom and kitchen were very well stocked and there were even dog cookies for us on arrival! The hosts Janice and Michael were lovely. We would definitely stay there again.  

                 

Mudjimba is a quiet little beach suburb on the Sunshine Coast, close to the Sunshine Coast airport. There is a beautiful park on the esplanade that backs onto Mudjimba beach, which is dog friendly. North Shore dog beach just south of Mudjimba in Twin Waters is rated one of the best off-leash dog beaches on the Sunshine Coast.

Mudjimba Holiday Rentals have a number of pet friendly accommodation options, and Kirsty was lovely to deal with. We stayed in a beautiful 4 bedroom house on the esplanade across the road from the park. We went away with family and had 2 dogs with us (our Great Dane & a family members large dog). The dogs were allowed inside the house, just not on the furniture.

There is a nice Italian restaurant and café on the esplanade which have dog friendly outdoor seating areas.

If you have a boat or just love the ocean Hervey Bay is a must! We went with friends and stayed at “The Sandpiper”, a beautiful 4 bedroom house in Craignish, just 10 minutes north of central Hervey Bay. Craignish is a quiet residential area, but it was perfect for us as it has a huge yard for the kids and puppy, and enough room to park the boat. The house has everything you could possibly need including an outdoor pizza oven and fire pit, swimming pool, BBQ areas, kids playground, sandpit, and even a cinema room! It is also a short walk from Dundowran beach (Whiting Park entrance) which is dog friendly.

Although we mainly ate in, there are dog friendly restaurants and cafes along the esplanade in Torquay and Urangan, as well as nice dog friendly parks and walkways along the water front.

We got a couple of good weather days and took the boat out to Pelican Banks which is just stunning and dog friendly. Pumpkin just loved running around and digging in the sand. Fraser Island is not far from Hervey Bay by boat, but unfortunately it is not dog friendly.   

There are lots of dog friendly holiday houses on Stradbroke Island, and Discover Stradbroke is great place to find pet friendly accommodation. Stradbroke Island is 45 minutes by ferry from Cleveland. There is public transport on Stradbroke Island, however if you are taking your dog I recommend taking your car on the ferry. Keep in mind that dogs must be muzzled to get out of the car on the ferry.

My favourite place to stay is Paperbarks beachfront accommodation, located right on the off-leash dog friendly home beach! It is great if you have a group of people as it has 4 bedrooms, each with their own entrance and ensuite (like separate hotel rooms), and a common open plan living area with a large deck that looks out to home beach. Dogs are not allowed in the bedrooms or on the furniture, so they either need to sleep in the living area or on the deck (which is undercover). However, the yard is not fenced, so I would recommend taking your dogs crate if you plan on leaving them outside.

It's best to check the Stradbroke Island website for up to date information on dog friendly beaches, as the rules seem to regularly change. Dogs are required to be on lead on most of the dog friendly beaches.

So there you have it, some of my favourite Great Dane friendly places in South East QLD. Which one’s on your wish list? 

You can also check out my blog on our Great Dane friendly road trip to Dinner Plain, where we stayed in on snow dog friendly accommodation! And if your dog needs some practical but stylish accessories for your holidays, check our range of luxury walk wear