Fishermen's Pier

Fishermen's Pier is Geelong's boat-shaped seafood restaurant at the end of Yarra Street, sitting out over the boat harbour at Corio Bay with marina and bay views from nearly every table. It is the upscale end of the waterfront strip, and for dog owners the relevant part is the outdoor deck over the water, where dogs are welcome alongside you.

The dog setup

Dogs are permitted in the outside deck areas on a lead; the indoor dining room is people-only, which is standard for a restaurant of this style. The deck is exposed to the bay, so a calm-weather day makes the difference, and a slower, sit-down meal here suits a settled dog better than a fidgety one. Water bowls are not advertised, so bring your own or ask staff, and it is worth confirming an outdoor table when you book on (03) 5222 4100.

From the kitchen

The kitchen is built around fresh local seafood: the signature seafood platter, oysters kilpatrick or natural, King George whiting and dusted squid, whole baby barramundi, prawn and squid linguini and salmon risotto, with seafood chowder and lobster ravioli among the regulars. Service runs daily, with lunch from 11:30am to 2:30pm and dinner from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. There is a long wine list to match, and the harbour outlook does the rest.

Getting there

The address is 1a Yarra Street, near the carousel on the Geelong waterfront, an easy stroll along the promenade from town. Paid parking sits on-site and along Yarra Street and Eastern Beach Road, and it gets busy on weekends, so arrive ahead of your booking.

Close by with the dogs

The waterfront promenade in front of the pier is an on-lead walk, while Eastern Park allows off-lead exercise on its ovals and the Eastern Park Circuit when no organised sport is on; the rest of the parklands stay on lead, and the beach strip east of the mineral spring is dog-prohibited. For another dog-friendly table, Edge Geelong runs a sheltered deck nearby and The Arborist welcomes dogs at its city tables. The Victorian restaurants index and the Geelong destination guide cover the rest.