Dog Friendly Stanley Tasmania | 9 Outstanding Things to do in Stanley with your Dog

Last updated on 8 December, 2022

A picturesque town on the northwest coast, it is well worth visiting Stanley Tasmania. Dog friendly, Stanley Tasmania has plenty of fantastic things to do with your dog. 

Spend a day in Stanley or visit Stanley on your road trip for a few days. With the Nut as a dramatic backdrop, the beautiful storybook architecture and the breathtaking sea, plus so many things to do with your dog, you will fall in love with Stanley. 

Stanley Tasmania lies on a peninsula, like an island in the Bass Strait, surrounded almost entirely by water except for a narrow section where it joins Tasmania. We loved this beautiful seaside town with its stunning beaches, lovely seaside homes and a variety of dog friendly things to see and do. 

Initially, we went to Stanley for a day visit but loved it so much that we returned a few days later (after doing theĀ Tarkine Drive) and stayed for two nights.

Dog Friendly Stanley Tasmania

Dog Friendly Stanley Tasmania Camping

Stanley Cabins and Tourist Park

Stanley Cabins and Tourist Park is a pleasant beachfront park with sensational views. The highlight of this park (we think) is that penguins have made it their home!

For the humans: The reviews for this tourist park in Stanley are full of high praise. People love this park right on the waterfront. The close location to Stanley must see attractions, the clean modern amenities, super friendly staff and the fact penguins nest here make it a favoured place to stay.

For your dog: The dog policy on the park’s website reads to me as tolerant of dogs and not particularly dog friendly. I am always wary of parks that state they do not accept all breeds rather than acknowledge the owner is more likely to be the problem.

Only camping is dog friendly. You must get prior approval to bring your dog and sign a dog owner’s agreement form.

Stanley Rec Site Self Contained Only

Overlooking Sawyer Beach, next to Stanley Golf Club, Stanley Recreational Grounds has room for fifty self contained setups.

For the humans: It is a budget campground close to town for only $10 a night. There is a dump point and water to refill tanks.

For your dog: A dog friendly budget campground in Stanley is where we stayed with our dog. We found it to be incredibly relaxed for dogs and their owners.

Dog Friendly Things to do in Stanley Tasmania

Dog friendly Godfreys Beach in Stanley Tasmania
Godfreys Beach, Stanley Tasmania

Godfreys Beach Stanley

Godfreys Beach is a brilliant dog friendly beach in Stanley. A one kilometre stunning stretch of beach lying on the west side of the Nut, it is the perfect spot for the iconic shot of your dog and the Nut. 

At low tide, Godfreys Beach is a wide expansive beach fantastic for dogs to run along. The off leash area of Godfreys Beach starts opposite the last house on Green Hills Road and continues north to the car turning point. 

Calm seas and crystal clear water made it too hard to resist a swim on the day we visited, so Daryl went in for a swim. Me, I chose to sit, relax and read my book while watching Chika have a ball running around. 

Tatlows Beach

Tatlows Beach is a spectacular 24 hour dog friendly off leash beach in Stanley. As part of Sawyers Bay, the lovely sheltered beach is especially incredible for dogs to run at low tide when the sea recedes for nearly one kilometre and becomes a tidal flat. 

Chika loved Tatlows Beach. 

Tatlows Beach Loop Walk

Tatlows Beach Loop Walk is a nearly six kilometre long dog friendly walking trail in Stanley. Moderately hard, it is a great track to take your dog for a walk through the historic Stanley township, past the sand dunes at Tatlows Beach, into the scrub lands and out onto the Tatlows Beach.

Give yourself and your dog 75 minutes to complete this loop walk.

Fishermans Wharf Stanley Tasmania
Fishers Wharf, Stanley Tasmania

Fisherman’s Wharf Stanley 

On the east of the Nut, Fisherman’s Wharf in Stanley is open to the public to explore and fish with your dog. Daryl tried his luck fishing off the concrete pier as we hung out enjoying the sunshine. Despite following the advice of locals to use raw chicken, he was unsuccessful.

Church St Stanley Tasmania
Church St, Stanley Tasmania

Church Street Stanley

Church Street is stunning with the Nut as its backdrop and storybook architecture, cafes, specialty shops and the historic Stanley Hotel. Take the time to meander along Church Street Stanley with your dog, as many cafes and stores put out water bowls for dogs. 

Perhaps as we did, stop at the Stanley Bakery for a scoop of delicious ice cream. I highly recommend the apricot sorbet.

Cemetery Stanley Tasmania
Historic Cemetery Stanley Tasmania

Stanley Cemetery

The Stanley Cemetery is a small historical burial ground between the Nut and Godfreys Beach. An intriguing place to visit, walk around with your dog checking out the headstones and graves of the pioneers and settler families from the local area. 

As one of the cherished local attractions in Stanley, please pick up after your dog and leave it as you found it. 

Stanley Heritage Walk

Stanley has many outstanding historical sites. The Stanley Heritage Walk is a dog friendly, self guided tour with fifteen sites, each with a plaque explaining its significance. 

The Circular Head Tourism Association (CHTA) has developed an interactive version of the tour, accessible from your smartphone. Alternatively, go to the Stanley Heritage Walk website

East Inlet Track Gullivers Rest Stanley Tasmania
East Inlet Track,Gullivers Rest, Stanley Tasmania

East Inlet Track, Gullivers Rest

The East Inlet area of Sawyers Bay is nothing less than brilliant. Well, we love it. 

The East Inlet is easily accessible with a 4WD via a short track at Gullivers Rest estate, off the Stanley Highway, a couple of minutes drive out of town. For us, the inlet was one of the best dog friendly tourist attractions in Stanley and one of the least known. 

The sand and water go beyond where the eye can see, making it feel vast and undiscovered. If you do nothing else in Stanley, go to the East Inlet at low tide, it will not disappoint. Swim, fish, 4WD, walk, bird watch and explore. 

West Inlet Track

The West Inlet Track off the Stanley Highway is a short track that takes you to the dog friendly West Inlet Conservation Area. We only briefly checked this area out but have heard from locals that it is a popular fishing spot in Stanley.

The Other Must Do Things in Stanley

The Nut Stanley Tasmania
The Nut in Stanley taken from Godfreys Beach

The Nut Stanley

The Nut in Stanley, very distinctive on the Stanley landscape, is a volcanic plug standing 143 metres high. It sits overlooking Stanley and the Bass Strait and has breathtaking views from every side of its top plateau.

As a must see attraction in Stanley, no visit is complete without going to the Nut. As dog owners, we visited the Nut by leaving Chika in our car in the carpark. 

The options for going up the Nut are to either walk the very very steep 430 metre trail or ride up on the chairlift. We opted to walk. Many travellers take the chairlift up and walk back down.  

Once on the top of the Nut, we walked the well marked and easy (flat) loop path around the top. There are several brilliant lookouts with views of the sea and landscape below. The walk around the top takes about 30 minutes with stops for admiring the views and taking photos.

Little Penguins in Stanley Tasmania
Fairy Penguins, Stanley Tasmania

Godfreys Beach Penguin Viewing Area

The Little Penguins in Stanley can be seen each night at The Nut State Reserve, located between the eastern end of Godfrey’s Beach and Stanley Cemetery. The reserve is a fenced grass area where visitors can watch as the penguins come ashore after the last light. Of course, dogs are not welcome. 

Each day, someone kindly puts up the time on the gate the penguins will return. The time was 9.40 pm on the night we went, so we left Chika to sleep in our caravan at our campsite. 

To view the penguins, you will need a red-light torch or a torch with red cellophane over the light, as the light from a torch disorientates the penguins. The penguins are amusing and delightful to watch as they make their way up the rocks back to their nesting burrows.

Stanley Golf Club

The golf course at Stanley is a picturesque links style nine hole course with one par five, four par fours and four par three holes. It is the wind that increases the difficulty. 

Daryl played in 30 knot winds, considered a stiff breeze by the locals. He enjoyed his game with the golf loving locals with a passion for the game. The greens were exceptional, thanks to the hard work of the volunteer staff.  

Stanley Golf Club is worth a visit. Dogs are not allowed, so Chika and I hung out for the morning at our campsite. 

Stanley Discovery Museum
Discovery Museum, Stanley Tasmania

Stanley Discovery Museum

The Stanley Discovery Museum on Church Street has photographs from 1858, marine relics, mineral and shell displays, education history and local family history. The museum was closed the day we were in Stanley, but with a small entry fee, it would be well worth a look for anyone interested in the history of Stanley Tasmania. 

Dogs are not permitted inside the museum, but we did see that there is shaded grass to tether your dog. 

Whatever dog friendly Stanley Tasmania attractions you do, it is a picturesque town sure to impress!

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