Maggie's Family Retreat

Maggie's Family Retreat is a three-bedroom holiday house on Millgrove Avenue in Cooloongup, and it takes dogs of any size rather than a token small-dog rule. You get the entire home, not a designated pet room, with a large secure backyard for the dog and a short drive to Rockingham's beaches for everything else. Sleeps six, so there is room for the whole crew.

Dogs at Maggie's

Dogs stay inside the home with you, and cats may be allowed if you ask the host in advance. The pet fee sits around AU$10 per pet per stay, which is about as low as pet fees get. Approve pets with the host when you book rather than assuming, and use that conversation to confirm the yard: fence height and gate gaps vary from listing photos, and a jumper or digger deserves a direct answer before you let them off-lead.

The house

Beyond the yard you get free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a full kitchen, a washing machine and garage parking, plus a BBQ with gas supplied. It reads as a straightforward family home rather than a styled short-stay, which suits a week with a sandy dog and kids trailing leaf litter through the hallway.

Where you are

Cooloongup is a southern suburb of Rockingham, roughly 45 minutes down the Kwinana Freeway from Perth. Shops and train stations are close, and the water is ten minutes away: Warnbro Dog Beach is the obvious morning swim, and Rockingham Fenced Dog Park covers the off-lead option if the weather turns. For coffee with the dog on the lead, Pengo's Cafe in Shoalwater sits near the water, and The Warnbro Tavern works for a relaxed dinner run.

Max: the backyard smells like a hundred happy dogs before him, which he appears to consider a five-star review.

Book early for summer weekends when the Rockingham coast fills up. More options are on the WA pet friendly stays list, and you can read more about Cooloongup before you lock in dates.