Tobruk Kiosk

Tobruk Kiosk sits beside the historic Tobruk Memorial Baths at the North Ward end of The Strand, an open-air counter looking across Cleveland Bay to Magnetic Island. It opens before dawn most days and trades through the morning and into the afternoon, though closing times differ between listings, so treat the early hours as the reliable window.

The dog setup

This is one of the more genuinely dog-oriented stops on the foreshore: water bowls are typically on hand, the kiosk has a habit of putting out free dog treats, and the open-air seating welcomes leashed dogs at the tables and surrounds. The counter faces the path and beach side, so you can order without leaving your dog out of sight. Given the heat in Townsville, the shaded tables by the rail are the ones to aim for.

Worth knowing

The menu is kiosk-form: good coffee, smoothies and cold drinks, plus muffins and baked goods, with the raspberry and white chocolate muffin the regular mention. It works best as the halfway-coffee stop on a foreshore walk rather than a sit-down meal. Early mornings and late afternoons are the comfortable times of day, and both bring out the local dog-walking crowd.

Getting there and parking

The Strand's foreshore car parks run along the waterfront and fill on weekends, with side streets in North Ward as the fallback. Walking in along the paved Strand pathway is the easy option, and it connects most of the beachside accommodation.

Close by with the dogs

The Strand path stretches for kilometres in both directions on lead, with the rockpool a short walk north. Happy Place and Juliette's are the other dog-friendly Strand options, and Turvey Bakehouse in the city covers the pastry escalation.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly cafes guide and the Townsville City destination page.

Pepsi: order the mango smoothie and ask about the dog treats, they usually have them behind the counter. Then keep walking, the Strand is the real destination.