Allison Wallace 9/21/22 Allison Wallace 9/21/22

Dog-friendly vineyards of Stanthorpe

In the middle of winter (or any time of year really…), does anything beat a high-altitude winery tour to warm your insides?

The Granite Belt – or Stanthorpe specifically – is one of the few wine regions in Queensland but it sure packs a punch. Even better, there are a load of vineyards that will welcome both you and your pup!

We tasted a lot of wine on our recent visit when we stayed at Merlot Mountain Retreat, but the best ones were where we could experience it together with our furry friend.

Ridgemill Estate

This was our first stop on arrival – just around the corner from our accommodation and with a wine club called Top Dogs, you just know these guys are dog-friendly!

Some more interested in wine tasting than others…

The vineyard at Ridgemill itself is amongst the highest altitude wineries in Australia at some 840 metres above sea level so we were so happy to be allowed inside to do our wine tasting with Falcor as the outside was definitely getting cold as the sun was setting.

Onto what we came here for – the wine!

Along with some old Aussie faithful varieties, we tasted a Saperavi that we just had to bring home with us – one glass was not enough.

Don’t forget to say hi to the very friendly goats that will race up to the feeding station near the cellar door!

If you want to stay longer here, you can. Ridgemill has eight onsite cabins that are dog friendly and a pet-friendly 3-bedroom house for families as well.

Book a tour here

Summit Estate

This was by far my favourite vineyard on this trip.

There’s a sign at the door at Summit Estate letting you know that they’re ‘fur baby friendly’ and to bring them in, AND a sign with dairy-free cheese tastings – perfection.

Add to this, the staff here could not be friendlier and will want photos of your dog at the vineyard – even down to the chat we had with the guy trimming the vines out the back!

There’s a $7.50 charge of wine tasting, which is waived in return for purchasing a bottle and we certainly nabbed a couple – along with some of the cashew-based cheese.

On Friday and Saturday nights, the estate stays open to let visitors enjoy the incredible sunsets over the vines. After our tasting, we sat our here and let Falcor sniff around while I warmed up with a mulled wine.

Balancing Heart Vineyard

Think wine tasting with sunset views and woodfired oven pizzas and there you have Balancing Heart Vineyard.

The cellar door is also the starting point for a stroll through the vines – dog in tow - taking in breathtaking views of the local area and, of course, the famous rock that gives the winery its name.

Dogs are welcome inside the cellar door but it was a little too busy in the small space for us so we spent the most of our time out on the verandah. There are picnic tables under the trees outside for those who want space and fresh air.

It is important to note that there are two (very) friendly German Shepherds on site so your dog needs to be ok with that. They were a bit too into playing for our fur baby at times.

There are seven wines on offer, and we tasted them all.

As the sun sets, the air cools down but these guys have you covered with outdoor heaters and blankets to borrow. The perfect end to a long day of tastings.

You will need to make sure you book to get a spot with the sunset dinners only running Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

That is a just a small taste of the vineyards in the area – and there are also more dog friendly options like Hidden Creek Winery and Café, Jester Hill Wines and Symphony Hill Wines.

Something you will see and hear a lot as you visit the wineries of the region is Strangebirds. This is marketing term that was developed around ten years ago, it’s now become synonymous with the alternative varieties grown in the Granite Belt. To be called a Strangebird there must be less than 1% produced in Australia. It does mean you get to taste varietals you will never see in your average bottle shop!

If beer is more your speed, you can hang out at the Granite Belt Brewery. Dogs on a lead are allowed on the veranda of the brewery and restaurant – perfect for lunch or dinner.

Book a Stanthorpe stay of your very own here or book in for a full day private wine tour including lunch if you don’t feel like driving!

A beer tasting paddle at Granite Belt Brewery.

Allison Wallace 8/21/22 Allison Wallace 8/21/22

A wintery escape to Merlot Mountain Haven

You know we are always on the look out for dog-friendly places to stay and a winter escape to wine country in the Granite Belt had our name all over it, so we were excited to discover a whole house with literal acres of land for our floof at Merlot Mountain Haven.

Less than 10 minutes south of Stanthorpe itself, this house truly is a haven. From the keyless entry to the wood-burning fireplace, and a kitchen stocked with all the necessities, you may never want to leave!

To get to the house, you head along a dirt road, jump out to open the gate and continue to almost complete privacy. The way in is well signposted and marked with solar lights so you won’t get lost either.

The country house itself is three bedrooms, but those not in use for your booking are locked off. The best bit? Up to four dogs can stay per booking with no size restrictions. For our 25kg ball of fluff, this is a welcome surprise.

In terms of being dog-friendly, it doesn’t get much better than this. Dogs are allowed inside, just not on the beds or furniture, plus there’s a securely fenced yard and a fenced paddock for them to run amok to their heart’s delight. Dog beds, bowls, towels and plenty of treats are supplied.

We discovered the pond on the property as soon as we arrived with Falcor the water pup making a beeline and going for a swim! A quick hose off and a towel and he was almost good as new.

Humans are treated just as well with local Washpool bath products, plenty of tea and condiments supplied in the kitchen and a Nespresso coffee machine for those cold early mornings! You could quite easily have all your meals here too with a great bbq out on the deck.

If you can’t wait for the fire to heat up the house, both the lounge and the main bedroom have reverse-cycle aircon that will warm you up in no time.

The master bedroom has an ensuite with heated lamps that were very welcome on the nights that got down to 2-degrees while we visited.

For relaxing after a hard day of wine-tasting, there is a TV with several streaming services ready to go or enjoy the large clawfoot bath in the main bathroom to really wind down.

There's even a small piano situated in the living room if you are musically inclined.

If you want to get out and explore, owners Lance and Marylin have put together a book with all the dog-friendly cafes, restaurants and walks.

This place just opened up for bookings at the end of 2021, and we are so glad it did. I am pretty sure we will be back again – maybe when it is a little warmer and the apples are on the trees.

Allison Wallace 8/22/21 Allison Wallace 8/22/21

The ultimate Magnetic Island escape

When planning a Queensland road trip with my dog, I was so excited to discover we could take the pup on the ferry across to Magnetic Island! What could be better for our water-loving family?

Affectionately known as Maggie, the island is a great place to just kick back and relax but there is also plenty to see and do!

Just eight kilometres off the mainland, this island is smack-bang in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef and boasts palm-fringed beaches, hiking trails and friendly rock wallabies. Holiday vibes sorted!

Getting there:

There are two ferries that will take you out to Maggie. A passenger-only ferry that takes just 20 minutes, and a vehicle ferry that takes about twice the time. We went with our car on the latter from Townsville with our dog able to get some fresh air on board – he loved his first experience on a boat bigger than a tinny!

If you don’t want to take your own car or have flown in from out of town, there are plenty of rentals available on the island and I would recommend having way as it is the best way to get around – though in peak seasons there is an excellent bus service.

The short ferry ride makes it possible to just visit for the day if you are short on time. Just make sure you book the early ferry in advance to make the most of it.

Where to stay:

Maggie has a wide range of accommodation options to choose from. There is everything from dog-friendly Airbnb’s like the one we stayed in to 5-star resorts.

The first choice is actually to decide where on the island you want to be. The main towns are Arcadia, Horseshoe Bay, Nelly Bay, Picnic Bay and Florence Bay and honestly, it really isn’t that far to drive between them but sometimes it is nice to just walk around!

Nelly Bay is where the ferry lands most of the large accommodation can be found here and Horseshoe Bay has plenty of restaurants and cafes and great sunset views.

We stayed in Picnic Bay on the southern end of the island, looking back towards the mainland. Our Airbnb was walking distance to a long jetty perfect for fishing, a beach where we could swim and a couple of restaurants. We had some incredible authentic Italian at Mamma Roma and I would definitely recommend you try it!

Things to do:

Walking is a big thing on Maggie and we made the most of it! There were a few walks we didn’t experience on the island as we don’t like to leave the dog at home too much so that meant the National Parks were off the agenda.

There is a walking track that goes from Picnic Bay all the way to Geoffrey Bay along the coast. It doesn’t offer much shade so best to do early morning or late afternoon but you get some incredible views and you can always jump in the water at points along the way if you get hot!

On the northern end of Geoffrey Bay, there are some large boulders and if you look a bit closer, you will see a whole family of small rock wallabies living there! We didn’t get too close as who knows if they have ever seen a border collie before so we played it safe. They were adorable though and apparently a lot more active around sunset when you can head along with a bag of feed to give them a treat.

We stopped for lunch on the walk back at a fabulous fish and chip shop in Nelly Bay – SOS which translates as “Stuffed on Seafood”. It was a tough decision but landed on a crab sandwich which was stuffed full of crab and tasty sauce.

We came back to Geoffrey Bay later in the trip with the car to try some snorkelling. Make sure you time it with high tide to get the best clarity here. There is a self-guided snorkel trail marked out here that points out remnants of shipwreck and some giant clams. You will see the white floats that outline the trail and stop you from swimming too far out.

You can take a tour that visits places only accessible by water for those super private beach experiences too!

When you are tired from all the active activities, it’s time for some refreshment and my favourite spot on the island for a beer is at the Base Backpackers. The reasons for this are simple – The Island Bar has a massive outdoor area (dog-friendly) and the best ocean views to soak up while drinking. We also came back here for burgers one night at dinner – they were epic!

Aiden was pretty happy to spend late afternoons casting a line off the jetty in Picnic Bay while we watched the sun go down. We left empty handed of course it was a very peaceful way to finish the day.

My favourite day was when we headed to Radical Bay. After scouring the maps and seeing this beach was not National Park and was 4WD access only, we packed the car for a day of adventure and sun and were not disappointed.

If you don’t have a 4WD, definitely do not attempt to drive to Radical Bay – the track is seriously challenging, and we had a high-clearance vehicle! You can get there by boat and we did see a few intrepid hikers coming across from Horseshoe Bay later in the day but when we arrived, we had the place to ourselves.

As we pulled up, we were greeted with paradise. Golden sand and clear turquoise tropical water surrounded by large boulder-strewn headlands, the perfect remote location. Falcor was pretty happy and ran straight into the ocean for a swim.

We spent the day swimming, exploring and relaxing. It felt like our own private paradise.

Radical Bay is a Marine National Park Green Zone so no fishing on this day but we did head out with a snorkel, but the water was a bit silty and visibility wasn’t great.

Dinner after a day in the sun was at Thai Again near Nelly Bay. This is the only Thai restaurant on the island and tucked out of the way in a beautiful old building decorated in plenty of fairy lights, first impressions were good. The food delivered and I had one of the best (and most spicy!) Laksa’s I have had in a long time.

Magnetic Island isn’t a bustling metropolis which makes it the perfect spot to sit back, take stock and relax in nature. It was a fabulous dog-friendly escape.

Allison Wallace 1/4/21 Allison Wallace 1/4/21

Dog-friendly bliss at Paperbark Couples Retreat

In the year that saw us all stay home, we spent a week nearby in Agnes Waters for a necessary change of scenery.

Leaving the dog at home was not an option so we chose to stay at Gibson’s Pet Friendly Accommodation and were lucky enough to book the week at their Paperbark Couples Retreat.

Down a long driveway away from any hustle and bustle, this spot was the perfect dog-friendly escape in Agnes Waters (near 1770) for both us and our very busy border collie!

The property itself is small but located on seven acres of land with a dam that our dog was jumping into within minutes of the car doors being open. The place is fully fenced so we were not at all worried about him exploring on his own.

He may have sniffed every paperbark tree he could find but he had a blast and was comfortable enough for him to stay alone every now and then – which for our anxious pup is saying a lot.

He even got to celebrate his 2nd birthday on the property - with extra special treats of course.

With the dog occupied we could spend some time enjoying the human-friendly parts of the retreat.

Inside there is aircon if you want it, a single bedroom and a bathroom and a fully-contained kitchen but outside is where the relaxing happens.

There is a big deck on two sides of the building with epic views of the night sky, a hammock and a fully functioning bathtub that definitely got a workout!

Below the deck is a firepit with bench seats where we toasted marshmallows and watched the stars. There is also a grate for the firepit where we cooked Portuguese chicken one night for the extra authenticity. You will find plenty of kindling and firewood ready to be collected on the property.

The owners of this spot have thought of everything, from dog bowls to a small kennel on the deck for the furry family members to books and DVDs and a handy guidebook to all the activities (both dog-friendly and not) in the area for the humans.

The Paperbark Retreat is just a five-minute drive from Agnes Water, and tucked away for 100 per cent privacy and we didn’t want to leave.

Paperbark Couples Retreat is perfect for a dog-friendly escape in Queensland and has set the standard for future adventures with our pup.