A Place To Stay Ballarat

A Place To Stay Ballarat is a small manager of self-contained holiday homes around Ballarat Central, and its pet story is simple: the Barkly & Hay house takes dogs of any size with no extra pet fee. That combination is hard to find, and it is why larger dogs keep getting booked in here.

Dogs at the property

Barkly & Hay is a three-bedroom house let as a whole home, so your dog gets a private yard and you get a kitchen and lounge rather than a motel corridor. Cats may also be allowed by request. Because A Place To Stay runs several properties, not every listing is pet friendly, so confirm the dog-friendly house and its rules when you book rather than assuming any unit qualifies.

Worth knowing

The no-fee, no-size-limit policy is the headline, but check the yard and fencing for your own dog when you arrive, since the homes are ordinary residential properties rather than purpose-built pet stays. Bring your own bedding and towels for the dog as you would at any house rental.

The location does a lot of work: Ballarat Central puts the Sturt Street gardens and the CBD's footpath cafes within walking distance, and Lake Wendouree's flat 6km loop is a short drive away for a proper morning walk.

Getting there

The houses sit on residential streets in Ballarat Central, an easy turn off the Sturt Street spine, with off-street or on-site parking typical of a whole-home rental. Ballarat station is close enough for an arrival by V/Line if you are travelling without a car.

Make a day of it

For a coffee walk from the front door, The Turret Cafe & Catering and Earls Deli are both central options, and Hop Temple covers an end-of-day drink on Bridge Mall.

If the dates are taken, Harrowfield House Ballarat is another self-contained option in the same streets. More dog-friendly beds are listed in the Victoria stays guide and the suburb page rounds up the rest of Ballarat Central.