Holiday Lifestyle St Leonards Caravan Park

Holiday Lifestyle St Leonards Caravan Park is a laid-back, family-run-feeling park on the Bellarine Peninsula, close to the beach and the small central shopping strip, and dogs are allowed on sites with management approval. It is an affordable, no-fuss coastal base for caravan and motorhome travellers rather than a resort stay.

Dogs at the park

Dogs are permitted on designated caravan and motorhome sites, and inside some cabins with prior management approval, though which cabins take pets varies, so confirm at booking. Fees reportedly run from around $40 to $45 a night depending on site type. The rules are strict and worth knowing before you arrive: dogs stay on a lead no longer than 2 metres at all times within the park, can never be left unattended, including inside vans, tents or cabins, and owners clean up immediately. You also sign the park's pet policy on arrival. Guests highlight shaded sites, a newer amenities block and a boat ramp nearby, with the beach and central St Leonards both close.

Pepsi: the 2 metre lead rule applies everywhere in the park, so if your dog is used to free range around the van, this one takes adjusting.

Getting there

The park sits at 3-15 Jacob Andrew Drive, about a 1 hour 45 minute drive from Melbourne via the M1 and Portarlington Road. St Leonards is on the southern shore of Port Phillip Bay, with Geelong the nearest big town.

Make a day of it

The foreshore in front of the park allows dogs off-lead for most of the year, switching to on-lead over the peak summer holiday block from late December to the end of February, so check the posted signs at the beach access. The flat St Leonards Picnic Ground Fenced Dog Park gives a secure run close by. A short drive up the bay, Bellarine Bayside Holiday Parks is the alternative coastal park option if sites are full.

More beds are listed in the Victoria stays guide and the locality page covers the rest of St Leonards.