For a peninsula-to-peninsula beach escape, get all paws on deck and take the SeaRoad Ferry between Sorrento and Queenscliff. Or, do go chasing waterfalls: Beauchamp Falls and Stevenson Falls (Great Otway National Park; on-leash) are both pet-friendly – show your pooch some TLC.
Pints and pinot
While away an afternoon in perfect company wagging chins and tails in pet-friendly beer gardens. For pubs with great meals and Fido-friendly courtyards, venture to the Farmers Arms Hotel, Daylesford and the Healesville Hotel. Need to share wine time? Sign up for a dog-friendly winery tour with Gourmet Pawprints or Pooches and Pinot to explore wineries in the Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Daylesford, with food, wine-tastings and pet-friendly transport all taken care of.
Camping and accommodation
While camping in national parks is generally off limits for dogs, there are some exceptions, and plenty of campgrounds in state parks that are pitch perfect for pets. Try some in-tents bonding at Johanna Beach and Lake Elizabeth, Great Otway National Park; Jerusalem Creek, Lake Eildon National Park; Shoreline Drive, Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park; Lake Hindmarsh Reserve, and Howqua Hills Historic Area, Mansfield.
For more creature comforts, curl up in a pet-friendly cottage, holiday house or apartment. Blue Moon Cottages in Rye makes room for all the family with a range of options, Tarra Valley's Best Friend Holiday Retreat has off-leash areas including a doggie playground, and, if you really want to treat your best friend, the Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld, has pet-friendly cottages at its Mt Sturgeon Station.