Tasmania would have to be the most underrated state that has beauty and wonder around every single corner! Wolly the smastiff has just returned from his 10 week adventure with his family from Lapping Oz, so we asked them what their Top 5 Pet Friendly beaches were…
Top 5 Pet Friendly Beaches In Tasmania.
Tasmania is an island state of Australia with 4,882 kms of coastline featuring some of the best beaches in the country. Even more amazing, Tasmania has loads of pet friendly beaches.
We made it our mission to visit as many as we could in our 10 week road trip on the island. We love spending time at the beach and hanging out with our pooch, Wolly.
NUMBER 5 – MAYFIELD BAY COASTAL RESERVE
With spectacular views of Freycinet National Park and the mountain range known as The Hazards, this beach ticks all the boxes. Dogs are welcome at one end of the beach and our boy, Wolly, thought it was amazeballs! Plenty of room to run along the shoreline, jump in the waves and play fetch. If you would like to stay, there is free, dog friendly camping right at the beach.
NUMBER 4 – PRIMROSE SANDS
What a hidden gem! We discovered Primrose Sands after chatting with a local from the area. She spoke of a pristine beach, surrounded by eclectic beachside shacks and glorious sunsets over the sea. She was right! This pet friendly beach was a Mecca for people walking their dogs along the sand. There are time restrictions in place, so your pet must be on a leash during most of the day. However, it becomes an off leash beach before and after the peak daytime hours. Wolly spent hours chasing the waves back and forth. It was like watching the tennis! Primrose Sands is a 45 minute drive East from Hobart.
NUMBER 3 – SAYERS BEACH
This beach is at Cockle Creek and is the most Southerly location you can drive by vehicle in Australia. There is a bridge over the creek which separates Southwest National Park (and the Tasmanian devils) from the pet friendly Sayers Beach.
We brought our dog Wolly here and he enjoyed running along the beach and chasing the waves lapping on the shore. Cockle Creek was once a thriving community and is now home to some historic sites, a whale sculpture and an easy 4 hour walk to Australia’s Most Southerly Point. If you would like to stay, the camping is free and pet friendly, but you will need to be entirely self sufficient. The nearest supermarket and fuel is in Dover, 40 minutes drive away.
NUMBER 2 – COUTA ROCKS
Off the well worn, beaten down tourist trail is GLORIOUS Couta Rocks. It offers everything we love about Tasmania. Located on the often missed West Coast, it is unspoiled and absolutely beautiful. Sandy beaches coupled with elongated rock formations and sunsets over the water, make this place really special. Fishing, boating, camping, snorkelling, diving and 4wding is what this area has to offer. Wolly is a garbage guts and made the discovery here that eating discarded abalone guts is NOT COOL. He suffered with a dodgy stomach for a few days but we are certain he did not learn a lesson. We were totally surprised by a WILD Tasmanian devil coming through our camp, where we were sitting admiring the stars, stealing Wolly’s meat! So cheeky!
NUMBER 1 – BAY OF FIRES
Bay of Fires features a series of lagoons, granite boulders, beaches and bays. A total of a whopping 40 beaches are part of the conservation reserve. Situated in the North East Region of Tasmania, it is one of the most popular destinations in the state. The Pacific Ocean and its pristine, clear water contrasts beautifully with massive orange lichen covered granite boulders plonked on white sand. The region is so legendary, it is in the Top 10 Best Beaches in Australia for 2018 . If you are the caravanning and camping type, you will find incredible free and pet friendly camp grounds in the Southern section of the Conservation Reserve Area. You can take your pick of the following pet friendly beaches;
Cosy Corner North and South, Swimcart Beach – These beaches are long and ideal for your pet who loves to run, chase and swim. Self Sufficient camping available for cars, tents, large caravans and buses. You’ll discover well protected sites to camp amongst the trees and spots right on the edge of the dunes.
We camped at Cosy Corner South and had access to a pit toilet. There were many other dog owners there, with well mannered animals. Wolly had a blast playing with other friendly dogs and swimming at the beach.
Sloop Reef – A small protected bay ideal for a float in the sea. Self sufficient camping available for cars and tents. The only pitfall is there are no toilet facilities available at this beach.
We took a few day trips here and enjoyed swimming, snorkelling and tiny crab hunting along the boulders.
ABOUT LAPPING OZ
Hey there, we are Adam & Mia and we have two children, Jett & Skye. We are The Lapping Oz family. We chose to quit our jobs, Road School our kids and journey full time around Australia with a 4×4 and Off Road caravan. With our dog, Wolly, we explored many of Tasmania’s Pet Friendly Beaches between January and March 2018.
Caravanning with a pet has been unexpectedly easy, as Wolly travels really well. It sure helps that he rarely barks and can be quite lazy! Travelling with a pet is not for everyone but we have loads of positive experiences. You can find out more about our decision to bring our dog here and you can check out more Pet Friendly locations around Australia on Wolly’s Facebook & Instagram – Where ’s Wolly Australia. Not content to merely visit an area, we completely immerse ourselves and explore everything it has to offer. Spending most of our time camping off grid, 4wding, snorkelling, spearfishing, hiking, visiting attractions and giving our kids Real World life lessons. With our dog with us, it adds another dimension of fun! Even he wants to go snorkelling and spearfishing! Find out more at www.lappingoz.com.au and give us a follow on Facebook & Instagram.
