By: Monique Ceccato
Your guide to where to stop and stretch your legs when you’ve got a pet in tow.
Driving down south? Put road safety first and break up the hours-long journey by pit-stopping somewhere along the way.
If it’s just you and the family along for the ride, you can pull over wherever humans are welcome. Add a dog into the mix, and suddenly, the options available to you become a bit more limited. But with careful planning and insider knowledge of the best pet-friendly pit stops along all the major routes south, road trips with your dog will be a breeze.
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Forrest Highway
Perth to Bunbury
When kids and animals are involved, there’s no telling when hunger or nature will call. Pull off into the Forrest Highway Ampol at West Pinjarra if either presents early in the road trip. Anyone not using the bowsers can park down the side, where there are ample bays for cars, caravans, and motorhomes.
Inside, you’ll find restrooms, a convenience store, and plenty of meal options from Miami Bakehouse, KFC, Boost, and more. Dogs aren’t allowed in the food hall, but they’re free to run around in the fenced-in dog exercise area just by the playground. Supervision is required, and all doggy deposits must be picked up.
A little closer to Bunbury is the Myalup Caltex (also known as the Settler’s Roadhouse); it’s perfect for a quick toilet pit stop. There’s a large carpark for cars and trailers off to the side, a toilet block right by it, and some patches of grass and bushland where the dog can relieve itself (and owners pick up after them, of course).
If you’re carrying on further than Bunbury, it’s wise to fill the tank here; RAC Members can save 4c per litre on fuel.
For a more extended break, pull into the Crooked Carrot or Old Coast Road Brewery just down the road. The former is every child’s dream, with a huge nature playground for toddlers and youngsters.
While the kids are clambering and sliding, adults can sit at one of the outdoor tables with pup on the lead. There’s a great selection of burgers and rolls to tuck into — or a parmi or schnitzel for something more substantial — and plenty of water bowls around to keep your dog hydrated.
Families with older kids will also appreciate the brewery's mini golf course. Drop in for 18 holes, and a shared pizza or two.
Bunbury to Margaret River
Coffee and cake at Vasse’s Bohemian Brew Cafe make for a fabulous pit stop. The cafe is tucked into a leafy residential subdivision just before the Vasse roundabout on the Busselton Bypass. Find a spot on the heritage cottage’s porch, where you and your pup can enjoy a break with views of the lush garden.
More active dogs might prefer a walk through Cowaramup’s Pioneer Park, 20 minutes further down the road. It’s grassy and green and has a playground, barbecues, and picnic tables for public use.
Before stretching your legs at the park, stop at the Cowaramup French Bakery and Patisserie or Temper Temper Fine Chocolate and pick up some goodies for a quick picnic. The bakery has a great selection of sandwiches, rolls, hot pies, and sweet treats.
For lunch from somewhere further afield, venture a few minutes off-course to Fishbone Winery. Not only does it make a fabulous chardonnay, but it’s also the only winery in the region with a Japanese menu at the cellar door.
Walk the dog through the side gate, take a seat outside and tuck into some beef tataki, fresh salmon sashimi, and seaweed salad while the kids play on the grass. Dogs are free to sniff around the grassed area with human supervision, too.
South Western Highway
Perth to Brunswick
Walk off a few hours in the car with a wander through the Stirling Cottage gardens in Harvey. The landscaped flowerbeds, secret garden, and mini orchard sit on the banks of the Harvey River and make up the view from the Stirling Cottage Kitchen tearooms.
Dogs are welcome to join you on the walk and at the tearooms, so long as they remain on the lead.
There is another pet-friendly riverside stop further south in the small dairy town of Brunswick. The Brunswick River Walk — a short dirt and gravel track — meanders along its namesake river’s banks for just over 600m. It’s a nice short walk for fresh air before bundling everyone back in the car.
You’ll find the trailhead and parking just off the South Western Highway, across from the Brunswick Bowling Club.
Boyanup to Manjimup
If you’re continuing on towards Manjimup, consider taking a short break in Boyanup. Pack a picnic lunch, or buy a pastie and pie from the Old Boyanup Bakery Cafe and dine around one of the undercover picnic tables at Lions Park.
It’s a eucalypt-shaded spot on the Preston River, with a 1.8km looped trail passing through it. After lunch, take the dog and follow the path for some exercise, learning the Aboriginal Dreamtime story of the region as you go.
Picnic spots abound in Donnybrook, too, but the Trigwell Place Recreation Area is among the best. Pop into the Donnybrook Bakery to pick up some lunch; the park is just a few doors up.
There’s a gazebo and picnic table to eat at and plenty of grass for the kids and dog to expend some energy on. Leave the car at the park's southern end, and you’ll pass the free public toilets before returning to the car.
Puppaccinos and hearty bowls of soup aren’t the only reasons to stop at Bridgetown’s Barking Cow Cafe. Sit in the alfresco area, and you’ll be in a prime spot for people-watching on the town's main street. Before heading to the cafe, take a quick walk in the nearby Memorial Park to ensure a perfectly behaved table-side companion.
Make a little more ground up before lunch and you can pull into Two Little Black Birds — a cafe just off the Manjimup Woolworths carpark — instead. The menu here is varied (think local truffle on scrambled eggs and cinnamon sugar-coated churros), and dogs are more than welcome.
It’s the same story at Tall Timbers, with the entirety of the beer garden classed as a ‘dog-friendly zone’. Enjoy the sunshine out the back while dining on a big bowl of parmesan truffled gnocchi with local beets and rainbow chard or a shared charcuterie board.
There’s plenty of parking just outside and a park across the road to run the dog before setting off again.
Active dogs will appreciate a stop at Big Brook Dam, an eight-minute drive from the Pemberton township. While exploring, they’ll have to stay on the lead (and off the manmade beach), but the 4km looped walk is an excellent way to get rid of that pent-up energy from being in the car. Bring some sausages in an esky in the car, and you can fire up the free electric BBQs to refuel post-walk.
Albany Highway
Armadale to Albany
No road trip to the Great Southern region is complete without stopping at the famed Williams Woolshed. It’s Albany Highway’s premier pit stop: part cafe and part gift store. Cars, caravans, and motorhomes have plenty of space to park out the front or across the road, and there’s even a Tesla Supercharger in the parking lot for EV drivers to charge up. For more charger locations along your road trip route, see RAC’s Electric Highway®.
Once you’ve browsed the Woolshed’s larder and gift store, head to the alfresco area. Here, you can let the kids loose on the playground and sit to eat with the dog on lead. The cafe has a bumper burger and sandwich menu and coffee roasted on-site.
Make it a bit further, and you can pull into Kojanup for a break instead; the Black Cockatoo Cafe at The Kodja Place is a top spot to stop.
While you can’t take the dog inside to check out the Aboriginal artworks and historic displays in the gallery, you can take them with you while you have coffee and cake on the cafe’s verandah. And, so long as they remain on the lead, you can stroll through the rose maze out back, too. It flowers from October to June, but the mosaics and interwoven story plaques remain year-round.
Mount Barker is among the last places you can stop for a feed before reaching Albany. Sate your hunger with a pie — or your sweet tooth with lamingtons and jam doughnuts — from the Mount Barker Country Bakery. There’s plenty of outdoor seating where you can bring the dog on a lead or take your goods with you to the nearby Centenary Park for a picnic on the grass.
People travelling towards Denmark will deviate off Albany Highway and wind through prime wine country en route to the laidback coastal town. Before arriving, drop into one of the many wineries to pick up a bottle or two of the region’s best. West Cape Howe Wines is one of the first you pass off Albany Highway, and it also happens to be very dog-friendly. Order a cheeseboard to graze on and sit at a picnic table under the trees, where the dog can join you. Be warned: the winery dogs, Tully and Lizzie, might come and join you, too. They’re a friendly duo, always keen for a game of fetch.
Make sure your furry friend is protected
Our trusted pet insurance covers up to 80%* of vet costs, less any relevant excess up to $12,000*.
Disclaimer: *Illness and injury cover – covers up to 80% of eligible vet bills, less any relevant excess, up to $12,000 annually. Conditions, limits & exclusions apply. RAC Insurance Pty Limited is authorised by RACQ Insurance Limited (ABN 50 009 704 152, AFSL 233 082) as an agent to issue Pet Insurance. This information does not take your personal objectives, circumstances or needs into account. Read the PDS, SPDS (where applicable) and TMD at rac.com.au before making any decision.
