Ivy on Glenelg

Ivy on Glenelg is a historic cottage and apartment stay on Glenelg Street in Campbell Town, the midway point between Launceston and Hobart on the Midlands Highway. Travellers use it as a genuine stopover rather than a dash-through: the cosy beds, the complete kitchen, cottages with a towel warmer and even the alpacas kept on site.

Afternoon tea on the verandah and an 1830s built main house give it more character than the usual highway motel, which sticks with people driving the Midland Way with a dog in the back seat.

Dogs at the cottage

Visitors report that pets are allowed and stay free here, per listings across the Expedia family of sites and Guest Reservations. Listings add the shape: one pet per room, supervised at all times, food and water bowls provided, and pets in designated rooms rather than anywhere in the house.

That framing matters: the venue's own website has been offline, so there is no written pet policy to point at, and nothing on record about fences, size limits or which of the cottages and apartments take dogs. Treat the policy as likely rather than confirmed and ring the hosts before you book, asking which named spaces take dogs.

The property keeps alpacas and the hosts have a dog and cats of their own, so a guest dog needs to be settled around resident animals. The shared courtyard stays on lead, and the period rooms leave tight clearance for a giant crate or a pacey dog.

There is no on-site restaurant, and leaving a dog alone in a heritage room runs against the house rules. Time dinner in shifts or pick one of the walk-in pub meals a short stroll away.

Worth knowing

Campbell Town is a service town first and a destination second, which is exactly what makes it useful with a dog. The Red Bridge and the Convict Brick Trail line the river at the town centre, both fine for a leg-stretch on lead, and there are parks and a pub meal within a short walk of the cottage.

If you are continuing north, the dog beaches and walks around St Helens are a full day further on; southbound, Hobart is two hours away.

For the overnight crowd pushing through the Midlands, a couple of alternatives with published pages on this site are worth a look: Grandma's House at Evandale sits just off the Launceston end of the highway, and Brickendon Estate at Longford is a heritage farm stay where dogs are part of the working property. You can also browse the full range of dog friendly stays in Tasmania.