Junction Cafe - North Shore

Junction Cafe - North Shore is a casual kiosk on the edge of Junction Park Playground at 5 Rockingham Drive, Burdell, in Townsville's northern suburbs. It is genuinely set up for dogs: shaded outdoor tables, fresh water bowls put out for visitors, pet treats in stock and a puppuccino for the well-behaved.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the shaded outdoor seating; indoors is people-only. Keep your dog on lead and close, because the tables sit right beside a busy playground with young kids moving through. Water bowls are usually out and staff will often bring a puppuccino, but offerings can vary, so confirm on the day rather than promising the dog in advance.

The vibe

The crowd is locals on the playground lap: coffee, iced drinks, smoothies and hot chocolate, plus a fast menu of pastries, breakfast rolls and the house reuben toastie. It trades mornings only, 7am to 1pm, seven days, and the regulars order ahead through the Bopple app to skip the queue. Staff kindness gets mentioned constantly in local feedback, which fits the neighbourhood feel.

Pepsi: go early. The shady tables are gone by mid-morning in Townsville heat, and I refuse to sit on hot paving. A 7am arrival got me a puppuccino and prime people-watching.

Getting there and parking

The cafe is in the North Shore precinct at Burdell, about 20 minutes north of central Townsville, with free street parking plus the precinct car park nearby. The entrance is wheelchair accessible.

Pair it with

Sanctum Dog Park at Mount Low is a short drive for an off-lead run, and Pallarenda Dog Beach is further out but worth it for a run by the water. For a second coffee, Sticks and Grinds at Deeragun is on the way back into town.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly cafe guide and the Burdell destination page.