Bay Blue Espresso Bar

Bay Blue Espresso Bar is a small specialty coffee bar at 45 Bay Road in Mount Gambier, a short walk down the hill from the Blue Lake (Warwar). It opens at 6am on weekdays, which makes it the natural first stop on a lake morning, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor and footpath tables while you wait on the order.

The dog setup

Dogs join you in the outdoor seating and footpath area on a lead; indoors is people only. Water bowls are often set out front, but pack your own to be safe, and the level access makes it easy to manage a dog at the tables. Street parking is usually available on Bay Road and the surrounding blocks.

Worth knowing

The cabinet is the draw: savoury and sweet muffins baked fresh, banana bread, toasties and cinnamon scrolls from ScrollQueen, and the long black is a regular's order. Hours run 6am to 3pm Monday to Friday and 7am to midday on weekends, so weekend visits are strictly a morning affair. Staff have a friendly, community feel that shows up consistently in what regulars say about the place.

Pair it with

The Blue Lake loop is the obvious partner: a 3.6km paved circuit around the crater rim with the lake below, and dogs must stay on a hand-held leash for the whole walk because the lake is a protected drinking water source. Waste bag stations sit along the trail and pickup is mandatory.

For off-lead time, the fenced Mount Gambier Off Leash Dog Area sits on the western side of the Blue Lake Sports Park behind the baseball diamonds, with separate zones for big and small dogs and a two-dog-per-person limit. Dogs are banned from the sporting ovals and playgrounds. If the road trip is longer, Breaking Bread is another local bakery-cafe worth a stop.

More options are on the South Australia dog friendly cafes guide and the Mount Gambier destination page.

Pepsi: grab a coffee here first, then walk it off on the Blue Lake loop. The climb back up to Bay Road is the price of the view, and the muffin waiting at the top is the reward.