Sun Ranch

Sun Ranch is a luxury micro-resort on 55 acres of regenerated farmland at Coopers Shoot, in the Byron Bay hinterland near Bangalow, and it is one of the few design-led escapes in the region where dogs are properly accommodated. Your dog stays with you in a self-contained barn on a working property where horses roam freely, and you still get the resort extras: a 25 metre hillside pool, sauna and ice bath.

Dogs at Sun Ranch

Dogs are allowed specifically in the Barns accommodation, not across all room types, and prior approval is required before booking, so raise the dog when you enquire rather than assuming on arrival. A $150 fluff fee applies per stay. The property's rules are clear: dogs must not be aggressive toward humans or livestock, and they must stay on a leash in all shared spaces across the ranch.

Worth knowing

The aesthetic runs California ranch meets 1970s nostalgia, with Spanish-inspired design across private cabins and barns, plus fire pits, morning yoga, horse riding and produce from the on-site gardens. It is design-led but functional, and the pool with its valley view is the centrepiece. The horses are a genuine feature and a genuine management exercise: loose livestock and a curious dog is the one combination this property takes seriously.

Max: this is a working farm with free-roaming horses. If your dog has prey drive or reacts to large animals, the leash rule in shared spaces is not a suggestion. Keep it on and read the fence lines.

Out with the dogs

Coopers Shoot puts you a short drive from Bangalow for cafes and shops, and roughly 20 minutes from Byron Bay, where Belongil Beach South is the designated dog exercise area. In Bangalow itself, WOODS Bangalow is a coffee stop for the morning run. Having a car is essential; the property is the main event, so plan for plenty of on-site time rather than treating it as a day-trip base.

For more dog-friendly bases, see pet friendly stays in NSW, or browse what else is on offer in Coopers Shoot.