Lilley's Beach

Lilley's Beach is a seven kilometre stretch of 4WD-only coastline at Boyne Island, south of Gladstone, and its fenced camping area at the northern end is one of the few places in the region where you can camp overnight with your dog on the sand. This is a working beach for fishing, driving and dog exercise, not a manicured tourist strip.

Dogs at the beach

Dogs are welcome at Lilley's Beach and in the camping area, but Gladstone Regional Council's rule is lead or tether at all times once you are on the beach proper. Off-lead exercise is available on the stretch from Wyndham Park carpark towards the beach access, so give your dog its free run there before you drive onto the sand. Camping is permitted only in the designated enclosed area at the northern end, with a maximum stay of 72 hours, and the area is patrolled. Keep the dog under control around vehicles and other campers, and pack out everything including dog waste, because there are no bins.

The camp

This is completely undeveloped beach camping for tents and camper trailers: no toilets, no showers, no water and no rubbish bins, so carry everything in and out, including drinking water for the dog. Council currently lists no fires at the site, so plan cooking on a stove. Generators have been permitted in daylight hours in the past; check the current council conditions when you buy your permit. Motorbikes are prohibited.

Getting there and parking

Access is 4WD only via the track off Handley Drive near the Boyne Island Sewerage Treatment Plant. A paid vehicle access permit from Gladstone Regional Council is required, and cameras record number plates at the entrance with automated fines for non-permit holders. Drive within about two hours either side of low tide and stay below the high-tide mark; the unmaintained track gets rough and the sand narrows dangerously near high tide. Walkers without a 4WD can reach the beach on foot from the ends of Wyndham Avenue or Olunda Avenue.

Close by with the dogs

If beach camping is full or not your style, Boyne Island Caravan Park sits on the river at Jacaranda Drive and Discovery Parks Tannum Sands offers pet-friendly options across from the esplanade. The Tannum Sands Dog Beach is the easier day trip for off-lead sand time, and Cafe @ One8ty Two does coffee on the island.

More options are on the Queensland dog friendly stays guide and the Boyne Island destination page.

Max: buy the permit before you drive on, check the tide chart properly, and remember the leash rule applies on the sand even though the foreshore walk in is off-lead.