Mountview Farm Stay And Poodles

Mountview Farm Stay and Poodles is a working farm campground at 191 Mountview Road, Toonpan, about 25 minutes from Townsville via the Flinders Highway, and it is one of the most genuinely dog-welcoming properties in the region. The hosts, Jase and Katie, run a camp with flat sites, water hookups, a dump point, communal fire pits and a farmyard full of animals, with mountain views over the whole thing.

Dogs at Mountview Farm Stay and Poodles

Dogs are welcome, with both on-leash and off-leash areas designated across the property and a simple request to be mindful of other travellers and pick up after your dog. If you need your dog contained, the farm offers optional doggy day pens and a securely fenced-off area, which solves the classic farm-stay problem of what to do with your dog while you feed the livestock or watch the kids at the playground. That makes this a rare find for owners of escape artists or dogs who get too interested in the farm animals. Speaking of which: pigs, goats, cattle and the hosts' namesake poodles all live here, and the friendlier ones will come up to the fence lines to say hello.

Max: use the day pen when the animals are being fed. A dog loose among baby goats might think it is herding, and the hosts would rather you did not find out.

The setup

This is a camp-and-caravan property rather than a cabin stay, with generous space to pick your own patch instead of lining up on slabs. Communal fire pits run most nights, often with wood available, and weekend movie screenings under the stars with popcorn are a fixture for families. Guests repeatedly mention the kind hosts, the playground and the farm swing, and the quiet despite being close to the highway.

Getting there

Turn off the Flinders Highway at Toonpan, between Townsville and Charters Towers. It is roughly 15 minutes from the Kmart at Idalia, close enough to duck into Townsville for supplies but far enough out for a proper night sky.

While you're out there

If you want a fenced run for the dog on the way in from Townsville, Apex Dog Park at Rasmussen and Jabiru Park Dog Park at Condon are both on that side of the city. Another stay option on the same corridor is BIG4 Tasman Holiday Parks - Rowes Bay, right on the Townsville foreshore.

More ideas are on the dog friendly stays in Queensland page and the Toonpan guide.