Mountain Rivers Tourist Park

Mountain Rivers Tourist Park is a hillside caravan and camping park in Rawson, set in Gippsland forest below the Baw Baw high country. It is a base for Walhalla, the Thomson Valley and Mount Erica, and dogs can join the trip, but only on the campground and only after management has signed off first.

Dogs at Mountain Rivers Tourist Park

Pets are not permitted in the lodge units, alpine cabins or chalets, or inside any amenities building. What the park does consider is the campground: twelve hillside powered and unpowered grass sites plus three small cubby bedrooms, at management's discretion. You need to arrange authorisation before you arrive, ideally at the time of booking, and dogs are generally ruled out on busy holiday weekends. Once approved, the conditions are straightforward: keep your dog quiet, keep them on a lead and clean up immediately. Bring your own bowls and bedding, as no pet amenities are provided.

Max: do not turn up with a dog and hope for the best here. Get the okay from management before you book, and skip the long weekends entirely.

The vibe

This is a quiet, compact park rather than a resort, and it is not set up for large motorhomes or caravans over about six metres. The campground suits self-contained campers and van travellers with a settled dog who are happy to book ahead. Happy Jack Creek runs through the valley below, and the forested hillside gives you morning walks on the doorstep once your dog is settled.

Getting there and parking

Rawson sits off the Walhalla Road about half an hour north of Moe. The park is a short drive from the township, and parking is at your site, so there is nothing to negotiate once you have checked in. Walhalla's historic main street, a good on-lead wander, is roughly twenty minutes away, and Erica State Forest has walking tracks close by.

While you're out there

For a leg-stretch before you settle in, the St Phillack Reserve dog area and the Rawson Recreation Reserve are both close to town. Erica Cafe & Bar is the handy coffee stop in the next town, and if the campground is full, Coopers Creek Campgrounds and Thomson Bridge Campground are alternative dog-friendly bases nearby.

More options are on the Victoria dog-friendly stays guide and the Rawson destination page.