Victoria Rose & Tea Room

Victoria Rose & Tea Room is an old-fashioned cottage tea room at 42 Prince Street, Rosedale, in Gippsland's hinterland between Traralgon and Sale. It is built around slow mornings: Devonshire tea with scones, jam and cream, homemade cakes and pies, and a proper high tea if you book ahead. For dog owners the draw is the garden, because this is a stop where the best tables are outside anyway.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas: the front rose garden and the more sheltered rear garden under the trees. Inside the main house is people only, so plan on a garden table. Keep your dog leashed and close, as the garden paths are narrow and other diners move through them. Staff have a friendly reputation with pets and water is generally available on request, but a portable bowl removes any doubt on a busy morning.

Worth knowing

Hours run 9am to 4pm, and the kitchen closes Thursdays. This is a sit-down, take-your-time kind of place rather than a quick coffee stop, and the scones are the thing people drive here for. If the weather looks unsettled, ring ahead on 03 5199 2082 and confirm the garden tables are in play before you make the trip with the dog.

Getting there and parking

The tea room sits on the north side of the main road through Rosedale, easy to spot from the highway turn-off. Free street parking is available along Prince Street and the surrounding streets, so there is no paid-car-park wrangle with a dog in the back.

Pepsi: I got the shadiest table in the back garden and a share of the scenery. The scones apparently never made it to my side of the table.

Close by with the dogs

Rosedale township is small and walkable, and the free riverside camp area makes a good leg-stretch before or after tea. If you are staying over, Rosedale Caravan Park and Willow Park RV Campground are both in town, and Sale The Dog Park is an easy drive up the highway for an off-leash run. More options sit on the Victoria restaurants list and the Rosedale destination page.