Ponto Falls Reserve

Ponto Falls Reserve is a free riverside camping area on the Macquarie River at Maryvale, between Wellington and Dubbo in central west NSW. It is a Dubbo Regional Council reserve with a 14-day maximum stay, unpowered sites under river gums, and dog-friendly camping, which makes it one of the more useful overnight stops for travellers with a dog on the Mitchell Highway corridor.

Dogs at the Ponto Falls Reserve

Dogs are allowed at the reserve and there is no fee, but the conditions are standard council reserve rules rather than anything informal: keep your dog on a leash and under effective control at all times, in sight, and bag and remove all waste. Kangaroos and wallabies graze the flats and neighbouring properties run livestock, so a dog that chases is a real problem here. Snakes work the long grass in warmer months, and bindii grows through the grassy areas, so check paws after walking across the open ground.

The campground

Sites are unpowered and suit tents, camper trailers, caravans, motorhomes and big rigs on the open, pebbly flats under the gums. Facilities are deliberately basic: a long-drop toilet, a dump point and general waste bins. There is no drinking water and no showers, so arrive fully self-contained and treat any water you draw from the river as untreated. The river access is the drawcard, with gentle slopes giving dogs an easy paddle, but currents shift after rain and submerged branches are a real hazard, so check the water before letting the dog in.

Getting there

The reserve sits off Ponto Falls Road on the Maryvale side of the river, reached via the Mitchell Highway; some access notes route campers in via Whiteleys Lane. The final stretch is a dirt access road that is generally 2WD-friendly, and it can roughen after rain. Allow about 30 to 40 minutes from Dubbo. Wellington is the closest town for fuel, supplies and a vet if you need one.

While you are out there

If you would rather have powered sites, showers and a bit more infrastructure with the dog still welcome, the Wellington Caravan Park is an easy drive back up the highway, and on the Dubbo end the How's the Serenity Camping Ground is another pet-friendly base. For a leg-stretch day in Dubbo, the South Dubbo Park Fenced Dog Park gives the dog safe off-lead time, and the Tracker Riley Cycleway is a long, easy on-lead walk.

More options are listed under dog friendly stays in NSW and in the Maryvale guide.

Max: I am on lead the whole time here, even at the river bank. I get a paddle if the current looks calm, then a paw check for bindiis before I get back in the van.