Australian Homestead Motor Lodge

Australian Homestead Motor Lodge is a recently renovated motel on the Sturt Highway at Gumly Gumly, on the eastern edge of Wagga Wagga, with the Rivergum Restaurant & Bar attached. It is a solid Riverina overnight stop for road-trippers with dogs: pet-friendly rooms exist, but they cannot be booked online, so everything goes through reception by phone on (02) 6922 7256.

Dogs at the lodge

Dogs are accepted in designated pet-friendly rooms, reserved by phone only rather than through the website or third-party platforms. Some booking sites list the motel as no-pets because the online engine cannot take pet bookings, so book direct or you will miss them. Specific weight limits and pet fees are not published; confirm both when you call, along with which rooms are pet-friendly and whether dogs can be left alone in the room. Ask for a room near the grassed areas for easy toilet breaks.

The lodge

Guests consistently point to freshly renovated rooms, comfortable beds, modern bathrooms and country views, and the rooms are spacious enough for a dog to settle in. It reads as a well-kept highway motel rather than a resort, with free off-street parking right at the door, which keeps the trip from the car short. The attached Rivergum Restaurant & Bar offers dinner with outdoor seating where dogs are welcome on a lead, so nobody gets left in the room at meal time.

Pepsi: a dog-friendly outdoor dinner table next door is the difference between a room with a bed and a proper road-trip stop.

Close by with the dogs

Across town, Wilks Park off-leash area at North Wagga gives the dog a proper run by the Murrumbidgee, and Chaston Pet Hub is Wagga's dedicated dog space on the southern side. The riverside tracks east of Gumly Gumly toward Brick Kiln Reserve suit a leashed morning walk when the ground is dry. If you are hauling a van instead, BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Wagga Wagga is the caravan-park alternative.

More options are on the New South Wales pet friendly stays guide and the Gumly Gumly destination page.