So you want to take off somewhere around Australia, maybe only for a few weeks, or a year, or indefinitely like we have? But you’re not sure if you should bring along your four-legged and furry family member?

There is a lot of different information out there and everyone has their own opinion, however, we have spent the last 3.5 years travelling Australia with our Golden Retriever, Jorja, and we don’t regret it at all! Read below for some tips and tricks from OUR experience with taking our dog on our journeys throughout Australia.

Caravanning With Your Four-Legged Friends

First of all, your experience of travelling with your dog will vary MASSIVELY depending on your dog’s behaviour and temperament, how well it is trained, whether it will listen to you under all circumstances, and if it can be left alone for short periods of time. This is all what you have to weigh up beforehand. 

We are very lucky that Jorja is friendly and obedient, and will happily sleep or sit around in the van for a few hours if we want to head off to a destination close by. If your dog is known for barking at absolutely anything, won’t listen to you, and/or can be aggressive to other dogs or people, this will ruin not only your experience but also that of others around you. It may even put your dog in danger if you are around baited areas, or parts of northern WA, NT or QLD croc country. 

These are just some of the things you need to consider if you think YOUR dog is right for travelling.

Visiting National Parks with Your Dog

Will taking your dog wreck your experience with visiting national parks? Yes and no. You won’t be able to camp in a national park with your dog as no domestic animals are allowed. However, day trips can be done, and this is how we are still able to visit national parks with Jorja. This obviously depends on your dog’s behaviour and if it can be left for a few hours while you head out. Some national parks allow domestic animals if you are not letting them outside of your vehicle. This depends on the national park. Each park and state has different rules so always make sure to do your research before visiting.

When we have visited destinations like Mossman Gorge, we had our van in tow and simply popped the TV and aircon on in the caravan, and Jorja sat there for an hour whilst we caught the bus up to check out the amazing Gorge. Again, always do your research and use apps like Wiki Camps to find out which campsites and day areas are dog-friendly. You might be surprised that some places you thought were full national parks are only so in sections, so you may be able to visit or stay in other sections of national parks with your dog with no dramas at all. 

Take Cape York for example; a lot of people assume it is all National Park when very little of the park is. You can do the teletrack and tip of Australia with your dog without any dramas at all!