Ponyfish Island

Ponyfish Island floats in the middle of the Yarra under the Evan Walker Bridge, a low-slung bar that is half island, half observation deck. It opens from 11am and trades until 1am daily, so the island works as an afternoon beer, a sunset perch or a late stop, with the city skyline doing the decorating on every side.

Dogs on the island

The venue's own social posts invite dogs across the island, and visitors report well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome at the open-air bar. Everything happens outdoors by design, which suits dogs well: the deck wraps the water, tables sit far enough apart that a settled dog causes no traffic jams, and the passing crowd provides better entertainment than any screen. Order runs through a QR code, so one person can hold the lead while the other fetches. On busy weekend evenings the ramp narrows and dogs do best at the outer tables away from the queue.

Worth knowing

The island trades through the evening every day of the week, but it is exposed to weather: a southerly or a Melbourne downpour closes the whole setup down, so have a fallback on the quay. There is no car parking to speak of, which is fine because the bridge connects directly to both banks and the trams on St Kilda Road are minutes away. Sunset is the magic hour and the deck fills accordingly; a dog that dislikes crowds will prefer a mid-morning or mid-afternoon visit.

Make a day of it

A loop of the Southbank river walk makes the natural companion: start at BearBrass for a dog-welcoming breakfast on the quay, run small dogs at the Southbank Small Dog Park, then cross to the island for drinks. If the evening is long, the Belgian Beer Cafe Melbourne keeps its riverside terrace trading late with water bowls for dogs. The Southbank guide and the list of dog friendly pubs in Victoria cover everything else.