Port Sorell Caravan Park

Port Sorell Caravan Park sits on the banks of the Rubicon River at 40 Darling Street, with roughly 140 powered and 32 unpowered sites and easy access to both the river and the beach. It is one of the more genuinely dog-friendly parks on Tasmania's north-west coast, and the difference shows in the paperwork: the park publishes a written dog policy, so you know the rules before you arrive rather than guessing.

Dogs at the Port Sorell Caravan Park

Dogs are welcome year-round on camping and caravan sites, maximum two registered dogs per site, but they must be declared when you book rather than added on arrival. A pre-authorisation dog bond of $50 per dog applies and can be charged out for non-compliance, so have proof of registration handy.

On site, dogs stay on a physical lead no longer than two metres, kept within your own site, and stay on-lead whenever you walk through the park. They cannot be left unattended at any time, and they are not allowed inside any park building, which includes the camp kitchen, the amenities block, the laundry and the office. Keep them at least ten metres clear of the playground, pick up droppings immediately and bin them, and do not wash dog bedding in the park laundry. Standard cabins generally do not take dogs, though it is worth asking management at booking in case dog-friendly options are available.

The place

Reviewers rate the park highly for its clean, well-maintained amenities, large sites, camp kitchen and the relaxed family feel, with the jetty and walking tracks close by. The location does the rest: the Rubicon River on one side and the beach a short walk away.

Out and about with the dog

Nearby Freers Beach allows dogs under effective control, but it is on-lead between 10am and 7pm from 1 October to 31 March under Latrobe Council's rules, so check the signs for the season you are visiting. Dogs are prohibited in the Hawley Nature Reserve. For a stretch of off-lead running, the Latrobe fenced dog park is a short drive south, and the Panatana Rivulet footbridge walk is an easy on-lead wander near the park.

For a coffee stop, Rocky Gardens Cafe at Shearwater is close by, and if you want a house instead of a site, Banksia at Port Sorell and Hawley House are dog-friendly alternatives on the same coast.

More options are in the Tasmania pet friendly stays guide and the Port Sorell destination guide.