Queenscliffe Tourist Parks

Queenscliffe Tourist Parks is the Borough of Queenscliffe's trio of council-run caravan parks: Queenscliff Recreation Reserve and Victoria Park in Queenscliff, and Golightly Park over at Point Lonsdale, all an easy walk from town, the beach and the bowls club. Dogs are welcome, but only in the right season and at the right site, so this is a booking that rewards reading the fine print first.

Dogs at the parks

The policy runs on the calendar: dogs are accepted in off-peak and shoulder periods, and generally knocked back through the peaks, which at Queenscliff means not just Christmas and Easter but busy event weekends such as the Queenscliff Music Festival and the Labour Day long weekend. By site, the Queenscliff Recreation Reserve is the pick, taking dogs on camping and van sites and, uniquely in the group, in its designated Budget Cabins. Golightly Park and Victoria Park accept dogs on their camping sites during allowed periods.

The hard rule to respect: apart from those Budget Cabins, every other cabin across the parks is pet-free, and arriving with a dog in one risks cancellation and cleaning fees. Dogs stay on lead around the park. Confirm site, cabin type and dates with the office when booking.

Worth knowing

These are working caravan parks rather than resorts: cabins and sites on the edge of the oval, staff that reviewers consistently mention, and a location that puts the town's hotels, fish and chips and ferry terminal within walking distance. Travelling outside the peaks gets you cheaper rates as well as the dog approval.

Getting there and parking

Queenscliff sits at the tip of the Bellarine Peninsula, about an hour and a half from Melbourne via Geelong, or across Port Phillip on the Sorrento ferry if you are coming down the Mornington side. Parking is at your site as usual for a caravan park, and the Searoad ferry is worth knowing if your dog travels well on boats.

While you're out there

The Point Lonsdale Dog Beach is the essential outing, with off-leash sand a short drive from any of the three parks, and La Loca Cafe in town rounds out a morning walk with the dog at an outdoor table.

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

Max: the season rules are the whole story here. Off-peak with a Budget Cabin at the Recreation Reserve and you are set; try January and the answer is no.