Caravanning couple praise award-winning pet friendly holiday park: 'Short walk to the beach'

One of the many benefits of travelling around Australia in a caravan is that you don't have to leave your precious fur baby behind if you are a pet owner. Research has even revealed that over half of Aussies would take more holidays if they could take their pet with them - which I, personally, can relate to!

Luckily, there are plenty of camping spots and caravan parks dotted around the country where your dog is welcome so you can enjoy long summer days and lazy nights by the campfire with your bestie by your side. It doesn't get much better than that.

So in demand are places where pooches are permitted, Jayco dedicates a category in its Great Escape awards to the best pet-friendly holiday park. While, this year, the top honour went to NRMA Forster Tuncurry, another of the Jayco award winners has been singled out by Camplify as the best caravan park to take your four-legged mates on vacation.

Dog friendly, beachfront camping

Located about 6 hours south of Sydney, Tathra Beachfront Holiday Park offers dog-friendly campsites year-round (except during peak summer) and even provides a dog wash facility, so your pup can have as much fun as they like without you worrying about a filthy caravan or tent.

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Couple Adrian and Lesley, who sold everything in 2023 to travel full-time around Australia in their caravan with their dog, told Yahoo Lifestyle that they could not fault the holiday park.

"We use a few apps to decide on which campsites to choose and we used Wiki camps to book there after reading the reviews," Adrian said. "We stayed there for 3 nights."

"We couldn’t fault the campground. It had clean amenities, nice big sites and a short walk to the beach. And very friendly staff."

The fact that the park is dog-friendly is also a huge plus for Adrian and Lesley who said, "We just put in pet friendly in the apps we use, so it just shows us them, but we do miss out on some wonderful places because we have our dog."

The park is not only perfect for pet owners, but families too thanks to the waterpark that kids will want to spend hours at. Plus with 550 metres of beach frontage, you can choose between going for a dip in the ocean or in the heated pool.

Interestingly, Tathra Beachfront Holiday Park was voted Best Couples Holiday Park in the Jayco Awards so if the love of your life has only two legs instead of four, it still seems like a great place to set up shop for a few nights.

How much does Tathra Beachfront Holiday Park cost?

Powered sites that sleep up to 6 people start at $37 per night.

If you want to be beachfront, the sites start at $52 a night but are discounted if you have an NRMA membership.

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There are also villas, glamping tents and cottages available if you don't own a caravan (although you could always hire one from Camplify!).

What to do in Tathra, NSW

If you're in the mood to switch up laying on the beach with some activities, there are a few to choose from around the area.

You can go paddleboarding or kayaking, go mountain biking, take in a gorgeous, scenic walk or eat fresh oysters (yum) straight out of the water.

"While we were there we explored the coastline and enjoyed some great walks with our dog," Adrian said.

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