Holiday Haven Shoalhaven Heads

Holiday Haven Shoalhaven Heads is a large riverside caravan park on McIntosh Street with cabins, powered sites and family features like a jumping pillow, toddler pool and tennis court, plus direct access to Seven Mile Beach. It takes dogs, but the conditions are stricter than most parks, so the fine print matters here.

The dog setup

Dogs are allowed only on designated pet-friendly caravan, motorhome and tent sites, and in specific dog-friendly cabins; standard sites and regular cabins are off limits. A $40 cleaning fee applies to dog-friendly cabin bookings, and there is a limit of one dog per site. Declare the dog when you book, expect the dog to be sighted at check-in, and entry is finalised on the park's Conditions of Acceptance for Dogs form.

The biggest catch is timing: dogs are not permitted during school holidays, public holidays or peak periods, so this is an off-peak option. In the park, dogs stay leashed and are never to be left unattended, which means they come with you rather than minding the campsite.

Worth knowing

What you get for the conditions is a well-set-up family park right where the Shoalhaven River meets the beach. Seven Mile Beach runs from the park's doorstep, and the village has a 24-hour off-leash section of beach nearby for proper runs, subject to council signage. Book directly with the park to confirm which cabins and sites are dog-friendly for your dates.

Pepsi: off-peak mid-week is the sweet spot, an empty beach at the river mouth and nobody minding a sandy dog in the cabin.

Getting there

The park sits at 49 McIntosh Street in Shoalhaven Heads, about 15 minutes east of Nowra off the Princes Highway. Parking is at your site, and the beach, river and village shops are all walkable with the dog.

Close by with the dogs

The fenced off-leash dog park and the Gaffer Atlas dog park are both in the village, and Hedy's Bistro takes dogs on its river terrace. If the park is booked out, Shoalhaven Caravan Village at Terara is the fallback up the road. More options are on the NSW pet-friendly stays guide and the Shoalhaven Heads destination page.