Pastoral Hotel

Echuca is the Murray River's paddle-steamer port, where the historic wharf and the redgum buildings face Moama across the water, and the Pastoral Hotel is a working country pub with rooms a block from the main strip: cold beer, a serious kitchen and the comfy beds and friendly staff that keep country hotels full. The topics guests keep praising read like a checklist of what a good river-town pub should be: a fantastic menu, friendly patrons, a kids' area and an easy, unhurried feel at the bar.

The hotel sits on Sturt Street, the town's oldest thoroughfare, close enough to the port precinct to walk it and far enough off the water to sleep quiet. Echuca's peak season runs hard from spring through autumn, so a pub room in the middle of town is one of the more practical beds in the district.

Dogs at the Pastoral Hotel

Per the hotel's own site, the pet-friendly option is the Deluxe Queen Room: a dedicated pet-friendly room of 21 square metres on the ground floor, positioned for easy outdoor access, with rates from 160 dollars. The other room categories are not pet designated, so the booking needs to name that room.

The ground-floor setup is the quiet advantage regulars use: the room opens toward the exterior paths, so toilet breaks and early walks skip the front pub entrance entirely, and on-site parking means the dog crosses no foot traffic between car and door. There is no fenced yard, so the lead goes straight back on at the door.

The unattended-dog rule is the friction to plan around: a pub room means the dog cannot simply be left while you settle in for a long dinner, though the kitchen's delivery and takeaway run reaches across the bridge into Moama, so a parma can come to the room instead. Staying in a pub with a dog changes the shape of the trip: dinner is downstairs and needs no car, and the port precinct with its paddlesteamers is an easy walk.

The heritage railway station sits directly across Sturt Street, and its grassy surrounds are quiet once the morning arrivals clear, so locals time the dog's first walk to that lull. The river beaches and the Moama side of the water give morning walks, and the town sits on the Murray Valley Highway, an easy stop between Melbourne and the Riverina.

Close by with the dogs

Heading through the Goulburn Valley, the Victoria Lake Holiday Park and the Country Home Motor Inn in Shepparton are dog-friendly stops on the same corridor, and the Princess Park fenced dog park works off a long drive. More river-town options sit on the VIC stays guide.