Cudlee Creek Restaurant Tavern and Caravan Park

Cudlee Creek Restaurant Tavern and Caravan Park does two jobs at once: it is a proper Adelaide Hills country tavern and a working caravan park on Gorge Road in the Torrens Gorge, and the two sides suit each other for dog owners. Camp with your dog, then walk across to the tavern's beer garden with the dog still at your feet. It is a rustic, no-frills base for travellers, cyclists and bikers working through the gorge, directly opposite the Fox Creek Bike Park.

Dogs at the tavern and park

The pet rule is simple but firm: dogs stay with your own rig. They are welcome on the park's campsites if you bring your own accommodation, whether that is a tent, caravan or motorhome, and they are not permitted inside the tavern's fixed cabins or indoor rooms. Dogs must be kept on a lead and under control at all times across both the caravan park and tavern grounds. There is no published weight limit, but confirm any pet fee when you book, because the park does not publish one consistently online. The outdoor beer garden and seating area welcome dogs alongside you, though the set-up is aimed at human patrons, so bring your own water bowl.

Worth knowing

Powered sites run about $45 a day for two people with $20 for each extra person, or $270 weekly with a bond for long stays, and there are weekly rates for on-site vans too. Check-in runs 2pm to 5pm with a 10am checkout, and the park keeps things basic but functional: solar-heated hot water, a coin-operated laundry and a small oval for kids to run on. The tavern is known for country pub meals and weekend buffet specials, and it doubles as a refuelling stop for the Fox Creek mountain bike crowd.

Getting there and parking

The park sits on Gorge Road, a scenic route from Adelaide through the Torrens Gorge into the Adelaide Hills. Parking is on your own site with room for car and caravan rigs, and weekday arrivals get easier access and a quieter beer garden than the weekend buffet crowd.

Close by with the dogs

Fox Creek Bike Park sits directly opposite in the Cudlee Creek forest reserve, where dogs are allowed on a leash; keep the dog tight and close, because riders come through fast and blind corners are common. Gorge Wildlife Park at Cudlee Creek and The Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha are short drives for the rest of the family, and Bottle Shock in Gumeracha and Emma & Ivy in Lobethal are good dog-friendly stops in the valley. If the camping sites are full, Thomas Hill House is the other Cudlee Creek stay on our list, and the Inglewood Inn is a dog-friendly meal stop on the road back to the city.

More options are on the South Australia pet friendly stays guide and the Cudlee Creek destination page.