Lakes and Craters Holiday Park

Lakes and Craters Holiday Park sits on Park Road at the edge of Lake Bullen Merri, with the Camperdown Botanic Gardens next door and the district's volcanic crater lakes filling the outlook. It is a BIG4 park with a camp kitchen, clean amenities and sunset views over the water, and it takes dogs on camping and caravan sites, which makes it one of the more reliable dog bases in Victoria's Western District.

Dogs at the Lakes and Craters

Dogs are welcome on powered and unpowered sites, so caravans, camper trailers and tents all work. They are not permitted in the park's cabins or on-site vans, so if you need a roof over your head you will have to look elsewhere. The park runs a large securely fenced off-leash area where dogs can run properly, which is genuinely rare on-site at a caravan park.

Everywhere else in the park, dogs stay on a secure lead and are not to be left unattended. Droppings need to be picked up straight away, quiet hours apply overnight, and pets are kept out of the amenities block apart from guide dogs. Park management keeps final discretion on accepting pets, so call reception on 03 5593 1253 before you book to confirm your site type.

Pepsi: the fenced run earned its keep on our second morning. The lakeside leash walk from the camp gate to the botanic gardens is short but the views do the rest.

The vibe

Reviews consistently point at the same things: tidy amenities, a good camp kitchen, and the scenery changing with the light over Bullen Merri. It is a working base rather than a resort, which suits dog owners who spend the day out anyway.

Getting there and parking

The park is at 220 Park Road, Camperdown, a couple of minutes from the Princes Highway turn-off at the town end. Site parking is at your pitch, so arriving with a van is straightforward. Camperdown's town centre, with its pubs and bakery, is five minutes back down the road.

While you're out there

The Timboon-Camperdown Rail Trail is the obvious long walk or ride when you want more than the lake circuit, and dogs on leads are fine on it. For a coffee stop in town, R cafe & restaurant is the local pick. If you decide you would rather have four walls next trip, Cobden Crest Cottages about fifteen minutes west is a self-contained option that takes pets.

More bases are listed in the Victoria dog friendly stays guide and on the Camperdown destination page.