Now, my dog, Schnitzel, and I have checked out our share of street art in cities around the world, from Berlin to Brooklyn, not to mention our home city of Sydney. But we’ve never before taken a street art walking tour. To find out more about the great street art and foodie scene in inner city Newtown and most importantly whether the tours are dog-friendly, we tagged along on a Local Sauce walking tour of Newtown.
Introducing Local Sauce Tours
Local Sauce Tours is a small locally run company in Sydney, that has been running walking tours since 2018. Rather that tours simply aimed at tourists and newcomers to the city, their walking tours are a fun activity for Sydney locals, exploring some of the interesting neighbourhoods of the city, from Haymarket to Five Dock.
One of their most popular tours is their Newtown Chewtown & Street Art Tour. This hip inner city neighbourhood is home to ever changing street art murals, not to mention a fabulous foodie scene, particularly when it comes to diverse international cuisines and a growing number of vegan restaurants, dubbed the “Vegan Mile”.
We joined company founder Justin one Sunday afternoon for the Newtown Chewtown – Food & Street Art Tour.
Are Dogs Allowed on Local Sauce Tours?
While the Local Sauce walking tours don’t specifically cater for dogs, many of their tours certainly are dog-friendly. Dogs have previously accompanied their owners on multiple of their tours, including the Newtown Chewtown and Local Sydney tours.
Some of their tours are not suitable for dogs, including the Secret Bar Crawl Tours. These after-dark tours are strictly 18+ only, and it’s best to also leave pups behind. Also skip the Five Dock Food Tour, where the focus is inside food stores where dogs are not permitted.
The most dog-friendly tour options are the tours that are principally walking tours, where you spend the majority of the time outside walking around the streets and being regaled with stories and insider info, with just brief food and drink stops.
Recommendations for Taking a Tour with Your Dog
A walking tour isn’t suitable for every type of dog. It’s best suited for well-behaved dogs that aren’t too hyperactive, who are happy to sit (or be held) for awhile and be quiet while you listen to your guide en route, without disturbing the other guests. (Although pats from the other guests are usually guaranteed!)
My other main tip is it’s best if there are at least two of you. Most of the Local Sauce Tours involve food and drinks stops along the way. As your dog can’t usually head inside the cafes, it’s best that one of you can go inside and pick up your treats, while the other waits outside with your dog.
Note that the food stops on the tours can change from time to time, with no guarantee that all stops will have outdoor dining tables.
How Dog-Friendly is the Newtown Tour?
I choose to go on the Newtown Chewtown – Food & Street Art tour partially because I love street art and I wanted to find out more about the local street art, but also because the neighbourhood is very dog-friendly, with no shortage of dogs encountered on the streets.
About 90% of the tour is completely dog-friendly, with your dog welcome by your side nearly the entire time. Out of the food and drink stops along the way, three are dog-friendly.
At Hakiki Turkish Ice Cream I sat at the outdoor tables enjoying my Fig and Walnut ice cream (with Schnitzel very keen to have some!) and we shared takeaway falafels from the petite Cairo Takeaway. The tour wrapped up with beers at the very dog-friendly Young Henrys Brewery, where dogs are welcome inside.
Note though that the other two stops (a pie-shop and vegan pizzeria) only have indoor tables, so it’s best if you’re with a friend so one of you can head inside, while the other minds your dog. However, the stops can change – you’ll only find out on the day where you stop!
Other Local Sauce Tours to Consider
If you’ve already taken the Newtown Chewtown Tour or aren’t interested in street art, also consider these other equally dog-friendly tours run by Local Sauce:
- Local Sydney – Aussie Food, Culture & Coffee – Explore inner city Pyrmont, Ultimo and Glebe, enjoying classic Aussie snacks along the way, before wrapping up at an iconic pub, which is bird-friendly and dog-friendly
- Chinatown – Street Food & Stories – Find out more about the Chinese history of Haymarket, and sample regional Chinese street foods – designed to be eaten while on the move, so ideal when joined by a dog
A Self-Guided Alternative
If you don’t believe your dog will be well enough behaved to join you on a Local Sauce Tour, but you want to find out more about the street art around Newtown, you can follow their “Yeah the Girls” Street Art Self-Guided Walk.
If completing it with a dog, I recommend skipping the first free stops and starting near Newtown Station – see the linked Google maps. The tour is then only 3.3km long, with the end point close to the start point – an easier option if you’re driving a car.
The tour passes by the Enmore Dog Park, a handy spot if you want to let your dog enjoy some off-leash time to break up the on-leash walking. The tour also passes close to the dog-friendly Young Henrys Brewery, or grab some Turkish ice cream (which is extra slow to melt!) from Hakiki and enjoy it en route.
Note: The author was a guest on the tour. However, all opinions are entirely her own.
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About the Author
Shandos Cleaver is the founder of Travelnuity: Dog-Friendly Travel. She has travelled extensively with her Miniature Dachshund, Schnitzel, including to 33 countries across Europe, every state and territory of Australia except Tasmania, and 10 of the United States. She’s passionate about providing inspiration and information to others wanting to travel with their dogs, whether close to home or internationally.