Hume Villa Motor Inn

Hume Villa Motor Inn is a straightforward motel on Sydney Road in Fawkner, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, and it is one of the few places in this corridor that has a proper published pet policy rather than a maybe. Dogs and cats stay in dedicated ground-floor pet-friendly rooms, which makes it a practical overnight base if you are passing through the north with a dog in tow. The one thing to get right: pet rooms must be booked directly with the motel, not online.

Dogs at the Hume Villa Motor Inn

The motel's pet policy is specific. There is a fur fee of $25 per night, a maximum of two pets (cats or dogs) per room, and pets must be fully house-trained. Dogs are well restrained on a leash in all common areas, including the car park and the adjacent park and playground. Pets cannot be left unattended outside the room, and if you leave a pet inside, you need to stay on site and keep it secure in a carrier or crate. The motel supplies food and water bowls.

The rooms

Pet-friendly rooms are on the ground floor for easy access. Reviewers regularly describe the rooms as comfortable, quiet and cozy, some with a balcony, and the managers as approachable and friendly. The rooms can feel dated, but the recurring positives are the quiet and the no-fuss, friendly service. This is a budget motor inn, not a resort, and it is priced accordingly.

Getting there and parking

The motel sits on Sydney Road, Fawkner, on the main Hume Highway corridor out of Melbourne, with on-site parking at the door, so unloading a dog and gear is quick. The city is around half an hour away in traffic, and the Hume Freeway continues north towards Seymour.

Close by with the dogs

For exercise, Moomba Park dog park is the local off-leash option along the Merri Creek, and Charles Mutton Reserve is the other Fawkner off-leash area nearby. On the way in or out, Egan Reserve in Coburg is a handy off-leash stop on the same corridor.

More options around the north are on the Fawkner destination page, and the full list is in the VIC stays index.