Doggie Camping on the Great Ocean Road

Hello everyone my name is Luna and I have been camping for the very first

time!

I stayed at the Skene’s Creek Beachfront Park, which is right on the ocean side of the great ocean road an is probably one of the few caravan parks in Victoria between Geelong and Apollo Bay that allows dogs and camp fires with the bonus that it is right on the beach.

Heading from Melbourne there a couple of ways to get there, either via the Great Ocean Road, or as we did take the inland route which was about a three hour drive from Melbourne.  This route travels inland parallel to the Great Ocean road and then cuts over the Otways through Forrest.  There was plenty of place to take a break and a short pit stop, we stopped and visited Len Spraug Reserve at West Barwon Reservoir and then went down down the hill into Skenes Creek and were directly opposite the caravan park gate.

If you have never camped on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, be aware that the weather can change in five minutes and that it will probably rain.  The Bureau of Metrology App and Website are the must have resource when planning your trip.
Also remember that all caravan parks are different, and all parks have different clientele and all parks have differing Council/Owner regulations.  So take careful note of the caravan park rules and adhere to them.

Council No Dogs policy

At the start I was a little nervous of all the new sounds and smells, particularly the constant pounding and crashing of the waves on the beach, even the wind at night whistling through the trees and road traffic.

But I met a few other doggies and settled down. At night I needed my toys, bed, blankets and favourite food. I like to be warm and connect with familiar items.
After spending two days at the beach, I was totally exhausted when we arrived home.

From this experience I learned that whether pets are welcome or not in caravan parks is not always about the attitude of the caravan park.  And it's always best to plan ahead and check with the caravan park about pets upfront. 

On the Great Ocean Road for example it is often about council attitudes to pets on holiday.

And the caravan park owners may not be consulted at all in the process of the development of pet policy.

More camping hints

• Keep your food in a lidded box away from possums or straying dogs.
• Keep all rubbish in a bag hanging high on a tent pole for same reason.
• Keep your valuables locked in your car or out of sight in your tent.
• Take a bucket for hot water and washing up, don’t bother with the useless folding buckets that can be purchase in a handy carry bag, they leak and collapse, wasting the water.

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