On the Wallaby Eco Lodge

On the Wallaby Eco Lodge sits on Eacham Road in Yungaburra, the heritage village on the Atherton Tablelands where the crater lakes, platypus spotting and rainforest walks start at the edge of town. The lodge is the traveller hub of the village: cosy rooms, a garden down to the creek, and a staff crew whose night canoe trips on Lake Eacham have become part of its reputation. It suits backpackers, couples on the waterfall circuit and, unusually for an eco lodge, travellers with dogs.

Dogs at the lodge

The policy on record comes from the pet directory BringFido, which states it was verified with the hotel, and it cross matches the pet statements on Expedia and Booking.com: dogs of any size are allowed with a refundable 50 dollar deposit per stay, no cats, pets cannot be left unattended, and food and water bowls are provided. A pet fee applies on top of room rates, so confirm the amount when you book, along with which rooms take dogs since the directory reports one dog per room.

The unattended rule shapes the whole stay: the lodge's canoe trips and eco tours run without dogs, so plan dog-inclusive days or split the group. This is an eco property on creeks where platypus and tree kangaroos live, so the dog stays on lead around the grounds, and there is no fenced run on site.

Yungaburra's heritage streets are flat, and the platypus platform on Peterson Creek is an early morning or dusk outing, dog on lead; regulars slip upstream to the grassy stretches for the same platypus without the crowd. Lake Eacham is minutes away, though the crater lake national park sections are dog excluded, so keep lake time to the day use margins.

Worth knowing

Yungaburra's heritage streets are flat, and the platypus platform on Peterson Creek is an early morning or dusk outing, dog on lead; regulars slip upstream to the grassy stretches for the same platypus without the crowd. Lake Eacham is minutes away, though the crater lake national park sections are dog excluded, so keep lake time to the day use margins.

When the tablelands heat peaks, the lower cascades at Emerald Creek Falls near Mareeba are the locals' dog-cooling spot, and the historic pub up the street takes well-behaved dogs in its beer garden at dinner. The Discovery Parks Lake Tinaroo runs the chain's dog friendly terms on the water, and Shady Waters Camping covers the drier western tablelands.

Close by with the dogs

The Doyle Street Off Leash Dog Park in Mareeba is the fenced run on that side of the tablelands, and more pet friendly stays sit in the Queensland dog friendly stays listing.