Top dog places
Get away with your favourite four-legged friend in the Grampians. Let your pooch pal help sniff out the best wineries in the region, lead you on a stroll through pretty gardens, laze on sunny verandahs, and dine on local produce (the platter's for you, but dog bowls are aplenty). What could be more relaxing? Head to the Grampians for your next pooch-friendly break.
1. Seppelt Wines – Great Western
Enjoy a tipple with the pioneers of Grampians winemaking at Seppelt. Tour the historic underground wine cellars, then head out to the grass and picnic tables. Your canine bestie can lap from a bowl while you hydrate with shiraz and graze on a cheese platter.
2. Salingers Cafe
Pups are welcome at Salingers in the cafe's sweet private courtyard. Linger over brekkie from the all-day menu or tuck into a fresh-flavoured lunch. Seasonal and local produce stars here, straight from the kitchen garden.
3. Pomonal Estate
Time for wine, hand-crafted cider and gourmet morsels at Pomonal Estate, served against a stunning Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park backdrop. After a cellar door visit, chill or play on the lawn with your furry companion. Ask about an onsite stay at Mt Cassel Villa – well-behaved pups may score an invite.
4. Harvest Cafe & Provedore
Lead-loving dogs are welcome to refresh with a water bowl on the deck at this delightful local cafe. Brekkie, lunch and snacks are on the menu for pet-parents, made with local Grampians produce, naturally. Fill up on bounty to take home from the provedore, too.
5. Grampians Getaway
Stay with your doggie companion in one of six unique 'pyramids', architecturally designed to harmonise with the tranquil surrounding landscape. Sleep soundly on 50 acres of native vegetation right at the foothills of the Grampians. Onsite dam gets two paws up for paddling!
6. Gariwerd Motel
Pull in for the night in Halls Gap and set up base camp at Gariwerd Motel, where travel companions of the tail-chasing kind are welcome. The short walk to the town centre is perfect for both you and pup.
7. Livefast Lifestyle Cafe
Go slow at Livefast any day of the week with a bang-up coffee or fresh brunch on the verandah with doggie at your feet. Plenty of veggie and gluten-free options? Tick. Upbeat vibe? Tick tick.
8. Halls Gap Hotel
Bistro time, baby! Burn off some energy outdoors, ready for a companionable meal on the pooch-friendly hotel verandah. Cold beverages, magnificent Grampians vistas and a tasty gastro-pub menu – book ahead for weekends and holidays.
9. Tim's Place
Book the sunny double bedroom at Tim's Place, where dogs stay in a comfy kennel of their own and can frolic with Tim's chocolate labrador, Beau. Kick back on the verandah in a spacious fenced yard.
10. Parker Street Project
Pull up at Parker Street Project for casual dining at Dunkeld's Royal Mail Hotel. Pets can pad in and rest their paws in the courtyard, while you sample cocktails, wines and seasonal comfort food, all with a gorgeous Grampians outlook. Take a post-prandial on-lead stroll in the nearby Dunkeld Arboretum.
11. Grampians Olive Co.
It's a cappuccino for you and a puppuccino for Fido at the onsite coffee roastery at Grampians Olive Co. Gaze out over the olive grove from the deck, and taste estate-made organic olive oils in the farm shop.
Note: While dogs are welcomed by individual operators in the region, dogs are not permitted in Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park.
