Having spent the past 2 years living in Melbourne and driving with a pet between Melbourne and Sydney I thought I would share the top three pet friendly accommodation that I discovered en route. We stayed at each one with our mini groodle Winston.
The three Pet Friendly Hotels between Melbourne and Sydney we discovered were:
- Quest Hotel Albury 4.5 stars
- HillView Farmstay Gundagai 4.7 stars
- Abode Murrumbatemen 4.5 stars
| Distance From Melbourne | Distance From Sydney | |
| Quest Albury | 330 km | 550 km |
| HillView Farmstay | 470 km | 403 km |
| Abode Murrumbateman | 624 km | 280 km |
While Google Maps claims the drive between Sydney and Melbourne is 880 km and 9 hours driving the reality it is much longer even with minimal petrol, comfort and driver swaps. Add a dog to the journey and it becomes tedious.
We discovered three great dog friendly choices when making the drive between Melbourne and Sydney. Each stay is a great choice depending on departure time and direction of travel.
In this post:
Pet Friendly Quest on Townsend Albury
Albury is best for leaving Melbourne in the afternoon or an early start from Sydney. Driving time from Melbourne is only 3 hours 30 mins while Sydney is 5 hours 40 mins.
This is a useful stay if you plan to leave work early and “work in the car” by taking a few phone calls and video meetings (as a passenger).
The Quest Albury on Townsend offers dog friendly accommodation for an additional $50 per night. You are not allowed to leave your pet in the room on their own which means you will need to take them out with you for dinner. Unlike the other two choices the room has no direct outside access, so make sure your pet is well trained.
While you can prepare food in your room we found lots of food options on the main street of Albury. We enjoyed the Mediterranean flavors of Aida on Dean Street. Parking out front was easy and Winston slept in the car.
Dog Friendly HillView Farmstay near Gundagai
Hillview Farmstay is our favorite of the pet friendly places to stay between Melbourne and Sydney. We liked it so much we ended up staying three times!
Situated half way between Sydney and Melbourne it makes the perfect place to stop for a break. While it is approx 300m to the highway you will get traffic noises from the trucks. However, that’s a small price to pay for the rest of the amenities.
The drive from Melbourne is 4 hours 50 mins while from Sydney its 4 hours 10 mins
With only a small number of cottages available it’s best to book early as they fill quickly. The charge for the dog was $30.
While there are no shops nearby breakfast cereal, bacon, eggs, bread and a BBQ are provided. We supplemented this with tomatoes, bread rolls and had a wonderful feast.
Pet Friendly Abode Hotel Murrumbateman
Closer to Sydney is the pet friendly Abode Hotel Murrumbateman which is 6 hour 40 mins from Melbourne and just 3 hours from Sydney.
They have a small number of dog friendly rooms on the ground floor. This means your pet can easily go outside into the garden. As with the Quest Albury your dog cannot be left in the room on their own.
The hotel has a central BBQ are and you can buy and cook some food from reception. We chose to go the Murrumbateman Country Inn and enjoyed the rustic atmosphere and great food.
One other advantage of Murrumbateman is the close proximity to Canberra and its wine districts.
How to Book Pet Friendly Accommodation
Our tip is to call the hotel and check for pet friendly availability. With the Quest and Abode we called reception to make sure they had rooms available. We got the “last one” at the Abode. Just be aware that prices go up the closer to your arrival day.
Hillview was easy to book online but we also spoke to Ruth when the cabin we wanted was not available.
