Nicholas Royal Motel

The Nicholas Royal Motel sits on Lachlan Street, Hay's main street, in the middle of the vast Riverina plain where the Sturt and Cobb highways meet. Hay is a genuine crossroads town, and this is the motel long-distance travellers aim for: refurbished rooms guests describe as immaculate and modern, a pool for 40-degree afternoons, car window cleaning at the door and a shower people single out by name.

Shearers, truck drivers, grey nomads and families crossing between Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide all pass through, and half of them arrive with a dog. The pet rules here are unusually well published for a country motel, and the motel's own pets page is worth reading before you ring: pet stays go through a phone consultation, designated rooms only, a two pet maximum, and no unattended pets anywhere on the property.

Per the motel's own website amenities list, its room types are pet friendly on application, with approval arranged with the motel before you arrive. No fee is published, so the phone call is where the deal is made: confirm a pet-appropriate room, any charge, and any rules about leaving a dog alone in the room while you eat dinner at the pub across the street.

The unattended rule is the one that shapes your evenings. The policy bars leaving a dog alone in the room and bars pets from food-service areas, so plan around the beer garden, takeaway back to the grass, or one person staying with the dog while the other eats. Approval before arrival is the mechanism to respect here; showing up undeclared risks being turned away without a refund.

Dogs at the Nicholas Royal Motel

Because the motel sits on the main street, you can walk to dinner without leaving the dog alone for long. Local walks stay on-leash; this is farm and irrigation country, so keep your dog clear of stock trucks and working dogs around town.

When you call, ask which designated rooms sit closest to the grass. Short access to a relief area is the difference between a calm overnight stop and a midnight dash across a car park.

When you call, ask which designated rooms sit closest to the grass. Short access to a relief area is the difference between a calm overnight stop and a半夜 dash across car park.

Worth knowing

Hay summers routinely pass 40 degrees: drive with the aircon on, walk at dawn, and plan the day's long leg around the dog rather than the other way round. Rooms are quiet per guest feedback, which helps on an overnight stop.

More dog-friendly stays across NSW if Hay is one stop on a longer line.