Bonny Hills Beach Hotel

The pub at 1045 Ocean Drive in Bonny Hills, known for years as the Bonny Hills Beach Hotel and now trading as Bonny Hills Tavern, is the casual coastal local about 20 minutes' drive south of Port Macquarie. It is a family-friendly venue with a children's playground, live music on Sunday afternoons and classic Australian bistro food, and outdoor seating is where dogs fit in.

The dog setup

Dogs on a lead are welcome in the venue's outdoor seating areas, not inside the bistro or main bar. The exact outdoor setup has shifted while the venue has moved through its rebrand to Bonny Hills Tavern, so ask staff on arrival which tables are dog-friendly rather than assuming the whole garden is open. Bring your own water bowl to be safe, and settle your dog away from the playground side.

Max: Sunday afternoon with the live music on is the pick, but the garden gets busy, so a calm dog is a prerequisite rather than a bonus.

Worth knowing

Doors open from 10am through the week and the venue runs late daily, with bistro specials on weeknights, free pool on Wednesday evenings and poker nights through the week. The kitchen does pub staples such as schnitzels and salt and pepper squid, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, and the drive-through bottle shop sits on site.

Getting there and parking

Ocean Drive is the coast road through Bonny Hills, and the hotel has its own on-site car park. Coming from Port Macquarie it is a straight run south along Ocean Drive through Lake Cathie, about 20 to 25 minutes depending on traffic.

Close by with the dogs

Rainbow Beach at Bonny Hills allows off-lead dogs from Duchess Creek north to Middle Rock, and Grants Beach at North Haven is off-lead from the northern end of the surf club car park towards Grants Head, both under Port Macquarie-Hastings Council rules. The Middle Rock Boardwalk at Lake Cathie is an on-lead dune walk nearby. For other meals out, Bonny's Beach Cafe is up the road, and the Sailmaster Tavern at North Haven is the other pub option on this stretch.

More options are on the New South Wales dog friendly restaurants guide and the Bonny Hills destination page.