Dog friendly guide to Newcastle

Have pooch? Can travel! Everyone knows adventures are best shared with your four-legged bestie in tow. So when you visit Newcastle, don't forget the dog. 

Here's your guide to dog friendly locations, where you can stay, play and eat:

We’ve sniffed out some of Newcastle’s best for long sandy walks and heavenly runs. BYO ball

• Horseshoe Dog Beach: Tucked beneath Nobby’s Breakwall, Newcastle’s only dog beach allows pooches to run leash free and splash in the calm waters of the harbour while freighters, tug boats and yachts pass by. This popular dog beach offers a wide stretch of sand and languid waters where both dogs and owners can take a dip.

• Carrington Foreshore: Here you’ll find a leash free area fronting Throsby Creek with sandy walkways and plenty of grass for your pooch to run and play. This beautiful riverfront park is a serene space for dogs to sniff to their heart’s content, while you have a picnic and watch the coloured sails of dinghies from Newcastle Yacht Club pass by. Afterwards have a pint at one of Carrington’s dog friendly pubs.

• King Edward Park: Located at the top of this historic park with sweeping views of Newcastle’s coastline and the rolling Pacific Ocean, this is the ultimate pooch friendly park. Bring a frisbee or ball and throw it down the grass gully to give your dog a great workout. If they refuse to bring the ball back, stand at the bottom and throw it uphill. Gravity will do the rest! 

*The Bathers Way skirts the leash free area of King Edward Park. Take your dog for a walk on a lead first along all or part of the trail then let them loose at the dog park.

• Islington Dog Park: This leash free park borders Throsby Creek and offers plenty of shady trees and a wide grassy expanse where dogs can run free. There’s also a small agility area with holes, posts, bars and ramps if they’re into that sort of thing. After your dog is sufficiently worn out, head for bustling Beaumont Street and enjoy a coffee alfresco with your dog at one of the strip’s many cafes.

• Acacia Avenue Reserve: It really is a dog’s life at this enclosed 1.5-hectare grassy park. It’s the first enclosed dog park in the Hunter to offer two separate areas for both large and small dogs. Encircled by a 1.5-metre-high chain-mesh fence, the dog park offers accessible pathways, two shelters and tables, dog bubblers and dog dispenser bags.

Newcastle has some pawrific dog friendly cafes, restaurants and pubs so you never have to leave each other’s side while you explore the city. 

• Beach Kiosks: The beach kiosks in Newcastle are dog friendly, which is perfect if you are cutting laps of Bathers Way or Newcastle Breakwall. For the early risers, Blue Door Kiosk at Merewether Beach and The Kiosk at Newcastle Beach are open from 6am, and Swell at Bar Beach from 6:30am.

• Scotties: An absolute institution and a fave spot for enjoying fish and chips after a day at the beach.  They serve incredible high-end seafood inside and out, with the outdoor tables under the festoon lights making it a great doggy date spot.

• Moor Newcastle East: This east-end cafe and pantry has great coffee by Floozy and ample seating in the sunny front patio (perfect the dog that likes to soak in the sun). 

• The Clarendon Hotel: Enjoy live music with your best bed in the large dog friendly courtyard and grab a top-notch feed. There's even a designated puppy bar! 

• Customs House: This historic venue is a great spot for some iconic Instagram photos of you and your bestie in the dog friendly beer garden. 

• Queens Wharf Hotel: The harbour-side seating at Queen's Wharf Hotel is teeming with dogs enjoying a sunset spritz on the water.

• Moneypenny: Cocktails by the water with your dog. Need we say more? They're super dog friendly here with regular adoption days and custom dog beds so everyone is comfy.

• Harbour Bar: This is a great pitstop when exploring Honeysuckle with ample seating on the front patio. When the sea breeze picks up, the heaters and clear awnings come down so you can still enjoy the view.

• The Wickham Boatshed: This picturesque harbour-front spot has a relaxed atmosphere that is right at home on the water. Sourcing seasonal local produce served with a Meditteranean twist, you can enjoy the salty sea breeze and admire the boats on the harbour with your doggo.

*Insider tip: It's only a short  distance to off-leash beach Carrington Foreshore where your pup can burn off some energy or watch the sunset.

• Cafe Inu: 'Inu' translates to dog in Japanese. So you know you and your furry friend will be welcomed with open arms into this relaxed cafe. There are dog treats and puppycinos for good doggos to enjoy on the outside tables so no one has to go hungry.

• Baked Uprising: Many a dog come from far and wide for their crusty loaves, coffee and delicious baked treats out in the front yard, which becomes a hive of hound activity in warmer weather.

• Smokin Hot n Saucy: A meatlovers mecca, their 100% outdoor seating is 100% dog friendly, and even has some coverage for wet weather and sun. You and your dog will have smoke-infused dreams for days after trying their authentic Texan BBQ meat plate for two.

• Cake boi: There's only a few tables out the front which can get snapped up quickly, but the team are always happy to deliver your cake outside with a pat and a chat. 

• Red Parrot Coffee: This coffee roastery feels a little out of the way in the backstreets of Islington, but it has all your coffee needs covered. Dogs welcome inside and out. 

• Praise Joe Cafe: This tiny cafe greets all dogs with a biscuit and a pat, and serves some of the tastiest sausage rolls in Newy. It's also a stone's throw from Islington Dog Park. 

• Talulah: There's plenty of outdoor spots to relax and watch the world go by this lively intersection. The interesting menu + fully licensed credentials makes it a perfect possie for a mimosa brunch with your pooch.

But wait there's more:

• Convoy Commune
• Ka-fey Cafe
• The Happy Wombat
• East End Hub
• Family Hotel
• The Criterion Hotel
• Ground Up Espresso
• Carrington Bowlo
• Young St Hotel
• Maryville Tavern
• The Wickham Park Hotel
• Greenroof Hotel
• Hamilton Station Hotel
• Elmas on Clyde
• Onyx Espresso Bar
• Autumn Rooms
• Good Friends Eatery
• The Grumpy Baker

Newcastle is a great place for furry friends with dog friendly accommodation options to suit every budget. We recommend you contact the accommodation business directly to confirm their pet friendly terms and conditions.

• QT Newcastle
• Accommodation in Newcastle
• Astra Apartments Newcastle
• Hamilton Heritage B&B
• Jesmond Executive Villas
• Merewether Beach House B&B
• Newcastle Terraces and Apartments
• Reign Inn Newcastle
• Stockton Beach Holiday Park: Pet friendly in off peak season