Dog-friendly camping in Victoria.

See also our free camping in Victoria guide, which sets out the state forest and park camping rules.

Parks Victoria

Parks Victoria says dogs and other pets are generally not allowed in Victorian national parks, but are welcome in many other parks and reserves if they are under control and on a lead. Some parks allow dogs in only some areas, and you could be fined if your dog is in a protected area where dogs are not allowed, or off the lead in a dog-friendly park.1

The national park exceptions are small and specific:1

• Great Otway National Park: on a lead at several places, including the St George River Track near Lorne, the Lake Elizabeth visitor and camping areas near Forrest, and all of Johanna Beach.
• Lake Eildon National Park: dogs are allowed at the Jerusalem Creek Campground.
• Wombat-Lerderderg National Park: on a lead in designated areas, including selected roads, tracks, picnic areas and camping areas.
• Greater Bendigo, Heathcote-Graytown, Kinglake and Yarra Ranges National Parks: small on-lead areas only, such as set roads and trails.

Driving through a national park on a public road with your dog is allowed, as long as the dog stays in the vehicle. Parks Victoria also warns against leaving a dog alone in a vehicle, even with the window down or in the shade. Assistance dogs are welcome in Parks Victoria parks and reserves, though entry requirements apply in parks where dogs are usually prohibited.1

Campgrounds that allow dogs

Parks Victoria’s dog-friendly camping page lists campgrounds that welcome dogs. On 29 October 2026 it named Banksia Bluff in Cape Conran Coastal Park (selected sites only), Corringle Foreshore in Marlo Coastal Reserve, Upper Yarra Reservoir Camping Area (dogs on a lead at all times), Lake Elizabeth in Great Otway National Park, Jerusalem Creek in Lake Eildon National Park and Paradise Beach in Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.2 Parks Victoria also says dogs on a lead can stay at free bush camping sites in Kurth Kiln Regional Park.1

We list these as Parks Victoria does and have not visited them. Open its page for the current list, then read the campground’s page for fees, booking and rules.

State forests

The Victorian Government says dogs are welcome in state forests and can usually be off the lead. Within 100 metres of facilities such as car parks, picnic tables, toilets and fire pits, they must be on a lead or under effective control, which means they come straight back when called. Dogs must not disturb native animals, and you must clean up after them. Assistance animals are allowed in all areas of state forest.3

Forest parks are different. Dogs are normally prohibited, though some areas may allow them, and the page asks you to call 136 186 first.3

Council beaches and reserves

Beaches, foreshores and reserves in towns are looked after by councils, and each sets its own dog areas. The City of Ballarat is one example. It says dogs must be on a lead unless the area is signed as a designated off-leash area. Inside those areas the dog must stay under effective control, and the owner must leash the dog within 50 metres of children’s play equipment and picnic or barbecue areas, and within 10 metres of a shared path, walking track or waterway.5

Other councils publish their own rules, so search the council’s name and “dogs off leash”, then follow the signs on the day.

Poison baits (1080)

Parks Victoria says poison baits may be laid to control foxes or other feral animals, and that they can be fatal to dogs.1 In eastern Victoria, Agriculture Victoria says the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is running a 1080 program on public land from 1 July 2026 to 1 January 2027, using buried baits and canid pest ejectors to manage livestock predation by dingoes and wild dogs.4

The agency advises people to confine, muzzle or restrain dogs and cats so they cannot reach baits or poisoned carcasses, because they can be poisoned directly or by eating a carcass. It says the poison acts after a delay, and that you should contact a vet immediately if your dog behaves unusually.4 Agriculture Victoria publishes a baiting map for that program. If you see a poison sign anywhere, keep your dog on a lead.

Heat and your dog

Agriculture Victoria says pets can get heat stroke or die in a parked car in as little as 4 to 6 minutes, even with the windows open, and that you should never leave them unattended in a car. It lists the signs of heat stroke as rapid panting, lethargy, drooling, weakness, muscle tremors or collapse. Move the dog to a cool, shady spot, wet it with cool (not icy) water, offer small drinks and call the nearest vet, but do not transport it in a hot car.6

In Victoria it is also illegal to leave an animal unattended inside a car for more than 10 minutes when it is 28 degrees or hotter outside, or to secure a dog on a metal ute tray at that temperature without insulating material under it.7

Snakes

If a person is bitten, healthdirect says to keep them still and calm, call triple zero (000), and bandage the limb firmly from the fingers or toes upwards. It says not to wash the bite, cut it, use a tourniquet or try to catch the snake.8 We do not give first aid advice for dogs. Ask your vet before you go, and save the number of an emergency vet near where you are camping.

Caravan parks and private campgrounds

Holiday parks, caravan parks and farm stays set their own dog rules. Some allow dogs, some do not, and some add conditions. Rules vary by park, so ask the park before you book:

• Are dogs allowed on the site I am booking?
• Do they need to be on a lead the whole time?
• Is there a limit on the number, size or breed?
• Is there an extra fee?
• Where can I walk my dog?

On our Camping near pages, a place shows “Dogs allowed” only if its source record says so, and that record is an unverified suggestion until someone has checked it. Use the “Dogs OK” filter as a starting point, then confirm with the park.

How Trek Eleven helps

Trek Eleven is a free camping app for all of Australia. For Victoria, here is what it does today:

• You can browse the map and lists with no account.
• Campsites and caravan parks from open data appear as suggestions, with a “Dogs OK” filter where the source record says so.
• Every fact shows where it came from and when. A place no one has checked says so plainly.
• Saved and recently viewed places open with no signal. Offline maps are coming soon.
• If something is wrong or closed, you can report it from the place page.

Browse Melbourne and central Victoria, Gippsland, the High Country and Murray, the West and Grampians or the Mallee, or start with Apollo Bay, Lakes Entrance, Mallacoota or Mansfield. Near the city? See camping near Melbourne. Crossing a border with your dog? See dog-friendly camping in NSW and dog-friendly camping in Western Australia.

Find places near you

Our region and Camping near pages list the campsites, caravan parks and rest areas on record in Victoria, from open data. Each place says whether Trek Eleven has checked it, and unchecked places are only suggestions. They do not say that camping is allowed, free or open, so read the sources above first.

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