Dog Trip Melbourne: 52 Dog Friendly Nature Adventures
Guidebook
Dog Trip Melbourne: 52 Dog Friendly Nature Adventures Guidebook Review
This book continues the Dog Trip/Day Trip series of guidebooks with the release of Dog Trip Melbourne: 52 Dog Friendly Nature Adventures Guidebook. When I did the original review of the Dog Trip Sydney: 52 Dog Friendly Nature Adventures Guidebook I was quick to own up that, while I have had many dogs over my life, I’m mainly a cat person but I know that dog lovers are probably in the majority.
Dog owners who travel with their dogs very quickly learn that national parks, Australia-wide, are off-limits to our four legged friends (with the exception of assistance dogs) and owners can struggle to find locations to walk with their dogs. Given the relationship between many hikers and their dogs I appreciate the need for guidebooks that provide the opportunity to get out with their four legged friends but its not always obvious where dogs are welcome.
As is the case with the hiking version of this book Day Trip Melbourne: 52 Nature Adventures Guidebook, the layout of this book is simple and easy to follow with the first segregation of the walks being being set out in ‘zones’ in relation to the CBD. The zones are:
- CBD & South
- North
- East
- West
Walks within those zones are grouped by distance from the CBD; 2-24 km CBD and south, 8-82 km to the north, 11-95 km to the east, and 11-130 km to the west, which is a great way of identifying how much time you need to get to the walk start. And in many respects these distances will greatly depend on where you’re starting from. From there the key provides the basic information such as walk distance, difficulty, facilities including cafes, BBQs, picnic areas, and finally dog ‘on leash/off leash’ options.
One thing to note with this book (as opposed to the hiking version) is that the walks have to cater not just for the humans but also for the dogs. In the authors’ case their dog, Henri, who features prominently in this book, prefers walks up to and around 6 km. If you’re a dog owner you will be aware of your dog’s limits and preferences; trying to push them past this isn’t in anyone’s best interests. Evi and Andrew they have also included a greater number of walks closer to the city centre to cater for dog owners who want to access these walks without having to drive too far from the city itself.
The detailed sections for each walk are simple and easy to read with some lovely little icons that make it very easy to work out the key features for each walk. The layout of the book, the language used and the overall presentation are also designed to encourage the average person to get out and visit these walks with their dogs and in that respect, they have hit the mark. The walks range from urban, to beach, to bush, to waterfalls so there’s something for everyone both two and four legged.
The layout and feel of this book continues the trend set by the previous three books with high quality images of not just the landscape but also of dogs in the environment and at play. This guidebook, like other in the series, is very well done and importantly it encourages you to get out and explore with your four legged friend which is what a good dog trail guidebook should do.
Chapter headings
Contents
- Introduction p5
- Trip list p6
- Dogtripping 101 p8
- CBD and South p11
- North p51
- East p91
- West p183
- Acknowledgement p238
- About the Authors p239
We Like
- Written for the average person and their dog/s and has something to offer for both dogs and their owners
- Great selection of Melbourne walks that will keep you busy for many weeks or even years as you work your way through the walks
- Some lovely photos of trails and Henri
- Well set out walk guide at the front of the book to help you select the adventure based on distance from CBD, trail distance and walk difficulty
- Basic maps with excellent easy to understand icons to key features on the walks
We Don't Like
- Not a details book but it does provide good information to help you step through each walk
Buy One
You can purchase Dog Trip Melbourne: 52 Dog Friendly Nature Adventures Guidebook from Amazon Australia
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Investment
AUD $34.99 RRP
Dog Trip Melbourne front cover image
Dog Trip Melbourne: 52 Dog Friendly Nature Adventures Guidebook – page spread. The first page of each walk tends to include a photo, a map and basic information
Page spread detailed – Dog Trip Melbourne. The second page includes more photos and some text about the hike
Trip list in Dog Trip Melbourne Guidebook. Trip are organised by location and then by distance from the CBD
Dog Trip Melbourne section page showing the individual walks in each section
Disclaimer
This review was done with product provided by the publisher, Thames & Hudson, for review