Pet-Friendly Adelaide Hills: Where to Eat, Stay and Explore

Eat & Drink

Ambleside Distillers in Hahndorf welcomes dogs on its deck and lawns overlooking the gardens and gums, with water bowls provided while you investigate the family-run distillery’s award-winning gin, whisky and schnapps. Many of the botanicals are grown right here in the distillery garden.

Comida Hahndorf hides a sprawling garden behind its Main Street frontage, where dogs can settle under the trees or join you on the deck while you tackle Spanish tapas, paella and sangria. Puppuccinos, shady spots and sneaky pats are also firmly on the menu.

LOT.100 spreads across an 84-hectare property in Hay Valley, with big lawns, shady gums, covered outdoor dining and water stations for dogs. For humans, there’s paddock-to-plate food alongside beer, cider, wine, spirits and juice from its collective of South Australian producers.

La Viennese in Stirling even makes a special fat-free, sugar-free gelato for dogs. Which means nobody needs to stare accusingly at your pistachio cone while you enjoy your small batch gelato using ingredients like Sicilian pistachios, Piedmont hazelnuts and fresh Fleurieu cream.

Grünthal Brew in Verdun welcomes dogs throughout its outdoor areas, with water bowls, dog treats and puppuccinos on pour. There’s plenty for their humans too, including craft beer and gin, Udder Delights cheese, Hesketh wines and wood-fired pizzas. Puppy parties are welcome as well. Yes, your dog’s social calendar is officially better than yours!

The Bridgewater Inn welcomes dogs to its multi-level Creekside beer garden overlooking Cox Creek, with water bowls and pigs’ ears or beef bites available. Sitting beside the Heysen Trail, the historic pub is also a handy refuelling stop after a walk, with hearty pub meals and plenty of Adelaide Hills wine.

Lenswood Cider Co offers grassy space, orchard views and water bowls for dogs of all sizes. Its cellar door sits amongst apple trees and rolling lawns, with Hills-grown cider on tap and build-your-own Lenswood Larder platters making this an easy place to settle in together.

Deviation Road Winery in Longwood welcomes leashed dogs in its predominantly outdoor setting, where you can explore elegant cool-climate wines and an all-day grazing menu amongst beautiful gardens. Resident Hungarian Vizsla Aggie frequently does the rounds too and, according to the winery, is also their in-house social media magnet. It’s hard not to see why!

Stay

Discovery Parks Hahndorf has a number of pet-friendly two-bedroom cabins with secure enclosed outdoor space, easy-clean floors and climate control, all within easy reach of Hahndorf Main Street. Mount Barker’s fenced Barka Park is also nearby when somebody needs a proper run.

CABN Hahndorf and CABN Kuitpo Forest make bringing the dog (or your cat!) feel like part of the getaway rather than a concession. At Hahndorf, pet-friendly minimalist cabins sit amongst mature gums at The Cedars, the historic home of artist Hans Heysen, while at Kuitpo, three off-grid CABNs sit beneath towering radiata pines. The real appeal is sharing the whole experience with your best mate. Spending your days outside exploring together and retreating to your secluded CABN without leaving those puppy dog eyes at home. Just add your VIP (Very Important Pooch), when booking!

Pickers Hut in Basket Range is a restored 1940s fruit pickers’ hut on a working Angus cattle property, with private seasonal access to walnut, chestnut and apple groves. Dogs can frolic in the space outside before returning to underfloor heating and a slow-combustion wood fire, with up to two dogs permitted per booking (conditions apply).

Waterfalls, also in Basket Range, is a secluded stone cottage with a fully fenced private garden and access to acreage incorporating natural waterfalls, pine forest and gardens. Up to two dogs can stay (again, conditions apply), but just remember this is also a working cattle property, so dogs need to remain under control around livestock and wildlife.

Events & Experiences

‘Pinot & Pooch’ at Simon Tolley Wines in Woodside turns a dog-friendly cellar door visit into a monthly celebration of the pooches themselves. Held on the third Sunday of the month, visiting dogs score complimentary treats and little splash pools, while their humans enjoy estate-grown cool-climate wines, local produce platters and gourmet jaffles. Expect picnic rugs and lawn games aplenty whenever the Sun’s out!

Hahndorf Lavender Estate allows dogs (and cats) to join the Pick Your Own Lavender experience during their summer flowering season (December and January). Wander the rows of fragrant lavender, pick a bunch to take home, meet the farm animals and browse their range of products, with water stations always on hand for fur friends. With alpacas, goats and busy bees aplenty, just remember to keep your dog (or feline friend) on lead as they enjoy an amazing sensory adventure for that wet little nose of theirs.

Adelaide Hills Farmers Market in Mount Barker welcomes well-behaved dogs every Saturday morning, with water, waste bags, a dedicated pet food stall and other stalls selling dog treats. Grab some local produce and coffee, then find a patch of lawn and settle in together.

Walks

Laratinga Wetlands in Mount Barker has flat, well-maintained trails and boardwalks through an important wetland habitat, with dogs welcome on lead. The trails connect with the Mount Barker Linear Trail, while nearby Barka Park provides a fenced off-leash option when it’s time for some serious zoomies.

Totness Recreation Park permits dogs on lead in its northern section, where a short loop passes remnant woodland, a boardwalk and an historic dam built in 1884 to supply steam locomotives.

Kuitpo Forest gives dogs access to plantation forest areas (excluding Native Forest Reserves). For a straightforward option, try the 1km Chookarloo Walk from Chookarloo Campground or the 2.8km Forest Trail, both perfect for a stroll with your little bestie. Dogs must be on a lead no longer than three metres in designated on-lead zones, including busy trails, picnic areas and campgrounds. Outside these zones, you’ll need to remember to keep them under effective control. Further information is available on the ForestrySA website.

Balhannah Dog Park also provides serious zoomie potential, with expansive off-leash grasslands, mature oak trees, a roughly 650-metre perimeter track and creek and river access for dogs that are keen for a splash!

Belair National Park is unusual among South Australian national parks in welcoming dogs on its designated walking trails. Just keep them on a lead no longer than two metres, stick to the trails and take all waste with you, as there are no rubbish bins in the park.

From doggie gelatos and puppuccinos to working farms, forest adventures and cosy weekend retreats, bringing your best mate to the Adelaide Hills doesn’t mean compromising on all the good stuff. In fact, with all those treats, splash pools, open spaces and attention they’re likely to receive, they may well end up enjoying the Hills even more than you!