Blue Wren Cottage

Blue Wren Cottage is a dog-friendly, self-contained 1940s cottage set among jarrah and marri forest in Dwellingup, a small timber town in the Murray shire an hour and change south of Perth. It suits travellers who want a rustic base with the dog in tow, walking distance to town and minutes from the forest trails that put Dwellingup on the map.

Dogs at the Blue Wren Cottage

Dogs stay overnight here. The indicated terms are a $60 pet surcharge per stay, a maximum of two dogs, and no puppies. House-trained dogs are welcome inside the cottage but off the furniture and beds, they need to be quiet-natured, and they cannot be left unsupervised in the home. Guests bring their own pet bedding and bowls. Worth understanding before you book: some of these conditions are drawn from a related local pet policy, so confirm the exact fee, limit and house rules with the host at booking rather than assuming the listing covers everything.

Pepsi: forest on every side, and the humans only had to refill her travel bowl twice before lunch.

Worth knowing

The surrounding forest is 1080-baited country, so dogs stay on-lead once you leave the townsite, and Lane Poole Reserve requires leashes at all times. The upside of that proximity is huge: the Trails and Visitor Centre, the cafes along McLarty Street, and the Forrest Street dog exercise area are all close by, so the cottage works as a base rather than a place you drive away from each morning.

Getting there and getting out

Dwellingup sits roughly 75 minutes by car from Perth with no direct public transport, so you will arrive and leave by road. From the cottage, the Murray River swimming spots and walk trails of Lane Poole Reserve are a short drive, and the town's pub and cafes cover dinner without needing the car again.

Make a day of it

Mornings work well at the Blue Wren Cafe Dwellingup on the main street before heading into the reserve with the dog on a lead. If the dates do not line up, Dwellingup Forest Lodge and the riverside campgrounds such as Marrinup Campsite are other pet-friendly bases in the same patch of forest. Compare more dog friendly stays in WA or browse options around Dwellingup.