'Must love dogs': The ultimate pooch-friendly holiday park could be yours
In a country that is head over heels, or paws, for dogs, it’s surprising how tricky it can be to go on holiday with a hound in tow.
For the millions of pooch owners among us, clicking the “dog-friendly” option while scouring for accommodation is accompanied by a sense of dread. It’s slim pickings out there.
So it’s little wonder the guests of Best Friend Holiday Retreat keep coming back. Set on four hectares in the Tarra Valley rainforest of Gippsland, Victoria, it’s a far cry from the average pet-friendly holiday destination.
“As far as we know, there are no other caravan parks that are as dog-friendly as we are,” says owner Helen Jeges, who runs the business alongside her husband, Rob.
“Some caravan parks will have an area that is dog friendly or some dog-friendly sites, or one off-leash area. Some caravan parks have interesting restrictions like, ‘Yes, we’re dog friendly but you can only bring one dog,’ or ‘Yes, we’re dog friendly but only small dogs.’ ”
At Best Friend Holiday Retreat, dogs of all kinds are welcomed, rather than merely tolerated.
Pooches are allowed inside all of the cabins, including on sofas and beds (the park has strict cleaning protocols in place) and there are free toys provided in the six off-leash play areas.
All areas are “exclusive”, meaning dog owners have to ask permission to join if there’s already a four-legged pal in the play area. Jeges says this policy gives peace of mind to owners of rescue dogs or traumatised dogs.
“They don’t have to mix so we don’t have those unfortunate dog park incidents,” Jorges says.
There is a free hydrobath, with dog towels and a hairdryer provided, to clean up after muddy adventures or long walks. There are “doggy-doo” stations scattered around the park, dog drinking spots and tethering places in on-leash areas.
It’s estimated four in 10 households in Australia own a dog, with pet ownership spiking during the pandemic. “A lot of people [have been getting] a dog for the first time,” Jeges says. “And we’ve seen a huge growth in the business in the last two years.”
The park’s total income in the 2021-22 financial year was $393,000.
“About 90 per cent of our guests are from Melbourne and it’s a lovely mix of single people whose dog is their best mate, couples with dogs and families with dogs,” Jeges says. “No one comes here on their own.”
The park isn’t cat friendly but the owners have opened the doors to other pets. “We have had reptiles on application, so sometimes people bring a bearded dragon or blue-tongue lizard, and sometimes we have had birds kept in cages, [like] budgies, travelling with friends.”
Best Friend Holiday Retreat opened in 2003 and was sold to Rob and Helen in 2017.
“My husband and I provided foster care for greyhounds when we lived in Melbourne and would often travel with dogs, and we found ourselves on holiday here because we found it was one of the only places our dogs felt welcome.”
At the time, Helen was working as a doctor of paediatric neuropsychology while Rob was a stay-at-home dad.
“It was a big change. We have never owned our own business before but we saw it as a great opportunity to spend more time of the working week with each other and our kids.”
After five years, the Jeges plan to move closer to their children’s high school and have listed the park on the market for $1.6 million.
“We are obviously wanting to hand it over to someone who loves dogs,” Jeges says. “It’s ‘must love dogs’.”
The business and property are for sale, including a three-bedroom residence on site. The park includes eight park-owned cabins, 13 caravan sites and 14 camping sites.
“There’s not a lot of caravan parks that come up for sale,” says CRE Brokers’ Trent Whiston, who also owns a caravan park in eastern Victoria.
With most parks trading for between $3 million and $10 million, its price tag places it among the most affordable parks, he adds.
