Dog friendly camping at Genazzano Campground
The Genazzano Retreat is located just a bit over an hour drive from Cairns City, on the Atherton Tablelands overlooking the beautiful Lake Tinaroo. If you’re looking for a spot to relax, enjoy nature and a stunning view all together with your dog by your side, make sure to check out the Genazzano Campground.
When leaving from Cairns City, the fastest way to get to the Genazzano Retreat is to drive south and over the Gillies Range. Even though the Gillies Range always feels like an adventure on its own, you get some amazing views along the way.
We left from the Cairns Beaches and decided to drive over the Kuranda Range instead of the Gillies Range. From the Cairns Beaches both routes will take around 1.5 hours, so it’s really up to you which route to take based on your preference.
Genazzano Campground Great Views
Camping at Genazzano
The Genazzano Retreat has 25 unpowered- and 4 powered sites for camping. Every campsite is very spacious, so you have more than enough room for a couple of tents, campervan, or camp trailer. They allow 1 car per campsite so make sure to book accordingly.
Besides the fact that they allow dogs (obviously they need to be on the leash) which is amazing, we love that the camping has lots of green and is located right next to Lake Tinarroo. Our dog Biggie loves to swim, so he made sure to get into the water plenty of times during our trip.
We booked an unpowered site on the waterfront which provided a beautiful view over the lake. However, basically every spot on the camping provides a view over the lake so you can’t really go wrong when choosing a site.
Genazzano Retreat at night
The Amenities
The camping provides (hot) showers, toilets, a communal camp kitchen and a communal fire pit. The toilets and showers were very clean, and it was really nice being able to take a shower after a long day out in the sun, kayaking on the lake and running around with Biggie.
The camp kitchen has warm water and allows you to do your dishes, has a fridge you can store some of your food/drinks in and even has a gas barbecue, water boiler and more.
The communal fire pit is located right next to the lake and is the perfect spot to relax by the fire. We however decided to rent one of their fire pits for $5 as this allows you to make a fire on your own site. As we had Biggie with us this was just a bit easier as he could relax at our camp site and go to bed whenever he wanted (aka slowly disappear into the tent and curl up on the mattress after a busy day with lots of play time).
There were quite some dogs on the camping ground when we were there, so Biggie was able to make some new friends, play with some of the doggies and overall had the best time.
Genazzano Campground camp kitchen
What to do
With Lake Tinarroo as your backdrop, there are of course a lot of water activities you can do when camping at Genazzano Retreat. We brought some kayaks which was a lot of fun and a great way to explore the lake. However, there are also lots of people who bring their tinnie to go out fishing, or a floatie to drift and relax on the water.
Genazzano Campground Kayaking
Yungaburra
As the camping is only 20 minutes away from Yungaburra, it’s also the perfect opportunity to explore this picturesque little village. Yungaburra Village has a few café’s, restaurants, and boutique shops. Another great activity to do while in Yungaburra is to take a walk along the iconic Peterson Creek. The Peterson Walking Track is dog-friendly, so not a problem it you want to bring your fur friend along. If you’re lucky you will be able to spot platypus in the creek as well as possums and tree kangaroos can be seen during this walk.
Genazzano Campground Fire pit
Lake Eacham (not dog-friendly)
Another beautiful place to visit while in the area is Lake Eacham. Unfortunately, as it’s located in a national park, dogs are not allowed around the lake. Hence, make sure to visit Lake Eacham when your fur friend isn’t coming along for the ride.
Lake Eacham is a stunning lake in FNQ where you can swim and enjoy a sunny day around the lake on one of the many grass patches. They also have barbecues set up around the lake, which is perfect for an afternoon lunch with some friends or family. There is a platform where you can see turtles and if you’re up for some exercise you can go for a nice quite walk around the lake.
Make sure to check out our other posts about Camping with you dog around cairns.
Lake Eacham
Frequently asked questions
Genazzano Retreat is located just over an hour’s drive from Cairns City, on the Atherton Tablelands overlooking Lake Tinarroo.
The fastest way to get to Genazzano Retreat from Cairns City is to drive south and over the Gillies Range. However, you can also drive over the Kuranda Range from Cairns Beaches, which takes around 1.5 hours.
Genazzano Campground provides hot showers, toilets, a communal camp kitchen with a gas barbecue, water boiler, and fridge, as well as a communal fire pit. There are 25 unpowered and 4 powered spacious campsites with a maximum of 1 car allowed per site.
Yes, dogs are allowed at Genazzano Campground but must be on a leash at all times. The camping grounds are located right next to Lake Tinarroo, which is an ideal spot for dogs to swim and play.
Yungaburra Village, which is only 20 minutes away, offers cafes, restaurants, boutique shops, and the iconic Peterson Walking Track, which is dog-friendly. Lake Eacham is another beautiful place to visit in the area, but dogs are not allowed as it’s located in a national park.
With Lake Tinarroo as a backdrop, visitors can enjoy various water activities such as kayaking, fishing, and floating on a floatie.
Yes, there is a communal fire pit located right next to the lake. Visitors can also rent a fire pit for $5 to use on their own campsite for the duration of their stay.
Every campsite at Genazzano Retreat provides a beautiful view of Lake Tinarroo. Visitors can choose to book an unpowered site on the waterfront for an even more stunning view.
Yes, Lake Eacham has barbecues set up around the lake which makes it an ideal spot for a picnic with friends and family.
Yes, if you’re lucky, you can spot platypus in the creek while walking along the Peterson Walking Track in Yungaburra.
Yes, Genazzano Retreat is an ideal place to relax and enjoy nature with a stunning view of Lake Tinarroo. The campground has a lot of greenery, and visitors can participate in various water activities or take a walk along the Peterson Walking Track.
There are no specific restrictions on the number of dogs allowed per campsite at Genazzano Campground, but visitors should book accordingly to ensure that their pets are accommodated properly. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.
Biggie’s verdict
Oh this was a great trip! We did a lot of swimming while my pawrents were kayaking, I tried to catch some fishies but unfortunately I need some more training for this! I made so many friends and played all day! I went to bed very early every day as I was too tired to stay up like the big boys. I am gonna ask my pawrents to take me back here soon!