First Chapter Coffee

First Chapter Coffee is a modern roadside cafe in Moolap, on the Geelong side of the Bellarine Highway, built for people on the move: there is a drive-thru window, fast counter service and a handful of outdoor tables looking over open ground. Dogs are welcome at those outdoor tables, which makes it a convenient stop when you are walking or driving the Bellarine with the dog in tow.

The dog setup

Dogs sit with you at the outdoor tables on lead. Staff are used to four-legged customers and water is generally available on request, though on a hot Bellarine afternoon it is worth having your own bowl in the car. This is a quick, no-fuss stop rather than a long-sit brunch destination, which suits plenty of dogs just fine. The Barwon River corridor and the Bellarine Rail Trail are both close by for leg stretches before or after.

Worth knowing

The coffee is the point: proper barista-made cups plus toasties and breakfast items, with a free biscuit alongside the order and sweet treats in the cabinet. Hours run from early weekday mornings, roughly 5:30am, through to early afternoon, with Saturdays trading to around 1pm and Sundays closed, so plan it as a morning stop. Check the venue's own ordering page for the day's times before a long drive.

Getting there and parking

Find it in the Moolap shopping strip off St Albans Road, moments from the Bellarine Highway, with off-street parking directly out front, which makes wrangling a lead and a coffee order easy.

Close by with the dogs

Back toward Geelong, WYM and Orchid Co Coffee shop are dog-friendly alternatives, and Fork N Flower is the other Moolap option. The rail trail runs toward Point Henry and the Bellarine for longer on-lead walks.

More stops are on the VIC dog friendly cafes guide and the Moolap destination page.

Max: Rail trail walk, drive-thru coffee, free biscuit on the counter. Some mornings do not need improving.