Port Campbell Recreation Reserve Camp Ground

Port Campbell Recreation Reserve Camp Ground sits right in the township, an easy walk from the harbour and the main street, and it takes dogs year round on both powered and unpowered sites with no pet fee. For a Shipwreck Coast trip with the dog, that walkable position is the selling point: you park once and the town's cafes, bakery and foreshore are all on foot.

Dogs at the reserve

Dogs are welcome at any time of year and stay free, with a cap of two dogs per site. One requirement is easy to miss: you must tell park staff you are bringing a dog when you book, not on arrival. Keep dogs on a leash around the reserve and keep them out of the playground areas. Payment at the ground is cash only, so plan ahead for the booking fee and any site extras.

Max: notify staff about your dog when you book. It is a stated requirement here, not a courtesy, and the two-dog cap is firm.

Where the dog can and cannot go

This is the part most visitors get wrong: dogs are strictly prohibited across Port Campbell National Park, including the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and all park beaches and lookouts, on lead or off. The dog-friendly coastline runs the other way, west of town: dogs are permitted in designated areas of the Bay of Islands Coastal Park, including the walking trail and beaches between the Bay of Martyrs car park and Peterborough. Around the township itself, leashed dogs are welcome on the streets and foreshore.

Out and about

The reserve has a camp kitchen and outdoor kitchen, hot showers, a fire pit for hire and firewood for sale, with amenities kept clean. For a leg-stretch, the Timboon-Camperdown Rail Trail starts a short drive inland, and Wild Dog Cove at Peterborough is a dog-friendly beach option further west. If camping is not your style, Daysy Hill Country Cottages in town also takes dogs.

More options are on the Victoria pet friendly stays guide and the Port Campbell destination page.