Cafe Stepping Stone Dickson

Cafe Stepping Stone at 8 Hawdon Place is a vegetarian and vegan social enterprise set in a 1920s homestead with a big leafy garden, and it is one of the more genuinely dog-welcoming spots in Dickson. The garden backs onto Sullivans Creek and the playing fields, so a walk can be built around the visit rather than added to it.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor garden seating, with tables spread among the trees near the old homestead, on lead at all times. Indoors is not dog-friendly, so plan on a garden table. Water bowls are usually on hand, though it is worth bringing your own through a hot Canberra afternoon.

Worth knowing

The kitchen is fully vegetarian and vegan with locally sourced produce, and the cafe is a social enterprise that trains and employs migrant and refugee women, which is central to what it does. The carrot cake and lemon drizzle get regular calls. Hours run 8am to 3:30pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with the kitchen winding up around 2:30. It is closed Mondays, so check before a long-weekend trip.

Getting there and parking

Free on-site parking is available and untimed, a rare thing near the Dickson shops. The cafe is a short walk from the main precinct and sits right beside the Sullivans Creek shared path, which makes cycling or walking in easy.

Close by with the dogs

The Sullivans Creek path runs behind the cafe for a warm-up or leg-stretch, and the adjacent playing fields give open space for an on-lead wander. For another coffee in the precinct, Hudsons of Dickson and My Rainbow Dreams are nearby, and Living Dickson Apartments is a dog-friendly base in the same block.

Pepsi: take the garden table under a tree, then finish on the creek path. It is the whole reason this stop works with a dog.

More options are on the ACT dog friendly cafes guide and the Dickson destination page.