Pet owners, beware

We had a bit of a close call with authority today.  Really must remember to check where we are going before we decide to bring our lovely Miss T along.  It seems that there are still places in Australia which are very 'Dog unfriendly'.  After our time living in the UK and traveling throughout Europe this still surprises us.
Our destination today was Wellington Point in the Redland City, a lovely area to be sure, but beware if you are visiting with a dog.  Due to the Redlands area being considered a conservation area residents voted to have dogs not alllowed during certain areas.  They are ok at some hours but not others so be sure to check this before heading out for a day in the sun with your beloved pooch.

All that aside, we had a magnificent day.  Luckily for us we had managed to enjoy a 3 hour stay before the lovely (and I do mean lovely) ranger came and had a chat with us about why we should get in our car and drive away from the area with our dog.  He was so polite and apologietic, explaining how this had come to be in the area.  He seemed genuinely disappointed for us.  Our baby girl had remained on lead and by our side during our entire stay - and had her A game on for behavior.  Probably what saved us from a hefty fine and got us a nice warning instead.  Thank you lovely ranger.  We are only sad that we couldn't have stayed longer.

Now, to go back a couple of hours:  We arrived nice and early, with Matt's brother Dan and nephew Sebastian joining us for the day.  With cameras in hand we headed across the sand bar (as it was low tide) and passed all the way over to King Island conservation park.

While we were on King Island we stopped for some photos of crabs, shells and other little pieces that wash up at low tide.  So glad I took my macro lens along for the day.  Then it was back over to the main Island to have our picnic lunch.  Miss Trinket even found a little fur buddy to play with on our way back.  She was such a good girl today. 

After a lovely picnic lunch of wraps, which we packed from home, we decided to go for a walk along the Pier.  The pelicans were out in mass numbers today.  So nice to see ... and to photograph!  We always have such a lovely time here.

Then, after a couple of hours of R&R we decided that coffee would be the perfect end to the day.  We dropped into the lovely "Point of View" cafe to pick up some hot coffees, before heading back to the lawn to enjoy them before heading home.  Unfortunately, we were going to have to settle for drinking them on the way home as, no longer had we started to sip, we had our visit from the lovely ranger and had to leave.

Thank you anyway Wellington Point.  We will remember to check for 'dog friendly' hours before coming back this way again.  Where we go, so does she.  That's the whole point of having a dog in the family for us.  She is a part of our family.  She is only ever off leash at dog parks and is very well behaved in public but we also respoect that this is not so for everyone.  Such a shame that a few irresponsible pet owners, who have allowed their dogs to destroy wildlife, have ruined it for the rest of us who understand the value of keeping them on leash in public.

See you next time!