Dog Friendly Tropical Vacations – With countless beautiful islands along the Queensland coast, is it any wonder that an island stay could be the ultimate Queensland holiday? But since most islands don’t allow dogs, check out some of Queensland’s dog-friendly islands.
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Dog Friendly Tropical Vacations
One of the most dog-friendly islands off the coast of Queensland, especially in the tropics, is Great Keppel Island. A day trip to Great Keppel with your dog from Yeppoon is a great day out, thanks to the beautiful beaches, swimming and diving. There is so much to do on the great Keppel Island!
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The easiest way to get to Great Keppel Island is by boat. There are two ferry companies that offer short 30-minute trips, with multiple departures throughout the day. Advance booking is recommended.
We traveled with Keppel Konnections, who allow dogs for free. There is no requirement for our dogs to wear a muzzle. There’s also the larger Freedom Fast Cats, which charges $5 for small dogs and $10 for large dogs.
The main attraction of Great Keppel (Wop-pa) Island is its beautiful beach, which is fortunately dog friendly. Namely, there are no signs on the beach indicating whether dogs are allowed or not. But the island is part of the same local authority as Yeppoon, so the default rules that allow dogs to be led during the day, plus before 8am and after 4pm, may apply.
Fisherman’s Beach – The center of the island, this is where the ferry will take you and is close to the island’s limited shops, cafes and accommodation. Walk along the beach to the south to start the walking path to the nearby beach.
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Shelving Beach: The easiest beach to visit, it’s a 5-10 minute walk from the end of Fishermans Beach, although the final path is quite difficult, especially if you’re wearing gold. It is popular for swimming and diving, with sections of reef on both sides of the beach.
Monkey Beach: Considered one of the best snorkeling activities on the island, don’t stop at Shelving Beach and take the longer route to Monkey Beach. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to visit this beach.
Long Beach: A beautiful long stretch of white sand is perfect for paddling and swimming with the dog. There are two walkways that lead to the beach, the easiest option to find starting at the end of Fisherman’s Beach, while there is also a water path that goes through the tip of the island. At the east end is a nudist beach, although when we visited we had almost the entire beach to ourselves.
There are many hiking trails on the island, but currently they are not well maintained or even marked. It’s best to keep your dog on a leash while walking as we saw goanna, echidna and lots of birds in the peaceful bush. If you are on the island, we recommend that you inform your accommodation about your walking plan.
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As part of our ferry booking with Keppel Konnections, we added lunch including drinks at the Great Keppel Island Hideaway, which was excellent and delicious. Hideaway’s main bistro is outdoors and dog-friendly, with plenty of water bowls. I noticed a “no dogs outside this spot” sign as I was leaving, but I wasn’t sure which area it meant – we weren’t the only ones with dogs.
Other dining options on the island include Tropical Vibes Cafe in the main store and Great Keppel Island Pizza. Both options are dog-friendly at outdoor tables, or ordering takeout and hitting the beach.
If you’re only coming for one day and want to spend a day exploring, it’s best to bring your own picnic lunch so you don’t have to go back to the fishing village for half a day.
Although the main resort on Great Keppel Island has been closed for years, with redevelopment plans announced every few years (and then stopped), there are several other accommodation options, both small houses and holiday homes on the island.
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Most of them are pet-free, but there may be one or two pet-friendly options at any given time, such as beach houses on Airbnb. It’s best to book in advance or just stay and visit Great Keppel Island with your dog on a day trip.
Another important island in tropical Queensland that you can visit with your dog is Magnet Island, a short 20-minute ferry ride off the coast of Townsville.
An island that is bigger than Great Keppel Island, can drive to Magnetic Island. If you are traveling with a dog, it is a good idea to have your own transport as pets are not allowed on the buses on the island. However, there are also car rental options, at least one rental car on the island allows pets today, Arcade Beach Guest House & Car Hire.
If you are going to Magnetic Island with your car, you must take the Magnetic Island Ferry. Dogs are allowed on the ferry at no extra charge. If you take them out of the car and must not enter the cafe, except for the outside seats. Booking a car in advance is necessary and quite expensive.
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If you want to cross on foot, you can also use the Magnetic Island bus or book the faster Sealink ferry. Dogs are allowed on the ferry at no extra charge, although they must be on a leash and leash or travel in a pet carrier.
Dogs are allowed on most of the Magnetic Islands, except in the National Park which covers most of the island outside the village and includes the popular Forts Walk.
Outside of national parks, dogs are allowed on a leash on most beaches. These include Nelly Bay, Geoffrey Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Picnic Bay and West Point Beach. There are many beaches where dogs are not allowed, including patrolled Alma Bay, so check the signs.
We visited Magnetic Island with our dog without a car and found our options limited. Most people when they arrive drive or take a bus and the island is bigger than you expect!
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Our favorite part of the day was a walk along the beautiful Gabul Road which starts near the ferry port and leads to Geoffrey Bay, followed by a walk along Geoffrey Bay Beach.
At the far end of Geoffrey’s Bay is a popular spot to see the living wall, at the end of Armand Way. However, I recommend keeping your dog away from the wallabies; If you’re visiting the island with others, take turns walking the wallabies.
Most Magnet Island cafes and pubs with outdoor dining areas will allow your dog to join you. A recommendation I heard from others is The Island Bar at Nomads Magnetic Island Backpackers (former base), which has a cheap lunch menu and live music.
Magnet Island has a variety of vacation rental options, many of which are pet-friendly. Find pet-friendly accommodation options on your favorite site, whether it’s Stayz, Airbnb or Booking. Just check the dog rules first, including whether they are allowed inside.
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If you want to camp, when we visit the campsite only on the magnetic island does not allow pets, so we skip to stay overnight. However, it is now occupied by Selina, a luxury hostel brand. I confirmed directly with the property that Selina Magnetic Island allows pets in the campsites.
Located about an hour and a half north of Brisbane, between Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast, Bribie Island is a great destination to visit with your dog, whether for a day or longer.
Bribie Island is the easiest island to visit in Queensland because it is connected to the mainland by a short bridge. Just select Bribie Island in your car GPS and off you go!
One of the main attractions for dogs on Bribie Island is the beautiful dog beach, probably the best beach in the entire Brisbane area, because of its beautiful golden sand. Stretching between Woorim Beach and Red Beach, the off-leash dog training section is over 4km long, perfect for a beach walk with your kids.
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The easiest access is the off-road area at the end of Lowry Road in Woorim, which also has a convenient dog wash with a hose. Woorim Beach is known as a surfing beach, although the waves were small on the day I visited.
You can also access the off-leash dog beach from Red Beach, where the water is calmer. On the east side of the first parking lot, there is initially a leash-only section for a few hundred meters, before reaching the off-leash dog beach.
