Uluwatu Blue

Uluwatu Blue is a Bali-inspired cafe, juice bar and gift shop at 1/109 Lawrence Hargrave Drive in the middle of Stanwell Park, a beach village wedged between the escarpment and the sea on the NSW South Coast approach. The fit-out does the talking: turquoise picnic tables, mismatched umbrellas and greenery everywhere, with a menu that roams from acai and smoothie bowls, cold-pressed juices and coffee to Mexican and Indonesian-leaning plates, burgers, nachos and a gelato cabinet.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor courtyard and table area, which is where most of the cafe sits anyway, and the staff are relaxed with well-behaved dogs. A water bowl is usually on hand or fetched on request, and there is no fee for bringing a dog. Keep your dog leashed close to the table rather than wandering through the shop half; the gift store section is the one part of the footprint where a wagging tail is a genuine liability.

Pair it with the off-leash beach

Stanwell Park Beach has a designated off-leash green zone under City of Wollongong rules, where dogs can run off-leash at any time of day, with a leash required on the pathways and access ways in and out. Check the signage at the beach entry because some surrounding reserve sections run time-shared rules. It is a short walk from the cafe, so the classic circuit is an off-leash swim first, then acai bowls under the umbrellas.

Getting there and parking

The cafe sits on Lawrence Hargrave Drive, the main road through the village, with street parking along the strip. Bald Hill Headland Reserve, the hang-gliding lookout above the Sea Cliff Bridge, is a few minutes' drive up Otford Road for a clifftop walk on the leash afterwards. Note that the Royal National Park immediately to the north prohibits dogs entirely, so keep headland plans to the council reserves.

When to go

Hours run middays: 12pm to 6pm Monday and Thursday, 12pm to 8pm Friday, 11am to 6pm on weekends, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Weekends pull a steady Sydney crowd; a weekday Thursday afternoon is the quiet window with the dog.

More stops nearby

The Proud Park fenced dog park in Helensburgh is the nearest fully fenced run, and Gelato Man covers dessert up the road. The Stanwell Park destination page and NSW cafes index list more.