Within 2 hours of CBD Melbourne East, there are some great places to stay and eat.
I drew a radius 2 hours around Melbourne East and then set off looking for great places to take the dogs.
First we found Kurth Kiln 7 km north of Gembrook on the Gembrook-Launching Place Road.It was a little short on space and it would be troublesome with a trailer of any sort. That said, there is room for horse floats as it is popular with horse riders. Being full of tracks, it is appealing to dirt bike riders and bush walkers as well. The toilets were not the best, but I am sure they will do the job.
9km along the Loch Valley Road is the Poplar Campground. It was huge will lots of space. The creek had enough flow for the dogs to have a dip. Toilets are provided here. We did get a fright when a large limb fell from a Gum tree, just missing Max. This is a danger to be aware of around Gum trees anywhere.
Toorongo Falls Campground is also 9 km from Noojee. Take the Mt Baw Baw Road then after 4km turn off onto Toorongo Valley Road. After about 4km of dirt road the campground is on the right by the river. It is a bit uneven, but a good and roomy place to leave the city behind. Toilets are provided here too.
15km west of Noojee or 14 east of Powelltown is the Latrobe River Camping Area. Take the C425 between Powelltown and Noojee and look for a low timber sign pointing to the camping area. The signs are easy to miss. Head down the dirt road then left at the next timber sign. The campsite is pretty small and would be tight with a trailer. There is a toilet. If you don’t turn off into the camping area and continue down to the river, you will find a road that turns right to follow the river. The locals tell me it leads to Noojee and that there is camping along the river.
On the way we found a great place for a Devonshire Tea at Jindivick. The Barn there has a terrific view with great coffee and a water bowl for the dogs.
It looks to me as though Melbourne East has a good deal to offer dogs and their owners.
