Hazelmont Cottage Bed & Breakfast

Hazelmont Cottage Bed and Breakfast is a private one-bedroom studio cottage on Esk Hampton Road at Ravensbourne, in the rainforest escarpment country about 40 minutes north of Toowoomba and an hour and a half from Brisbane. It is a couples-and-dog kind of place: log fire, wood-fired pizza oven, breakfast included, and a secure fenced garden that past guests with small dogs report as properly escape-proof.

Dogs at the cottage

Pets are welcome by prior arrangement, which here means contacting the hosts and getting approval before you book rather than ticking a box on a booking site. There is no published pet fee or weight limit, so raise both when you enquire. Guests with dogs describe the property as well maintained and fenced, and the whole-cottage setup means no shared homestead awkwardness; your dog has the deck and garden without meeting other guests' animals.

This suits a dog who likes to potter on a veranda rather than one who needs to burn off energy in a big open run.

Worth knowing

The national parks next door, Ravensbourne and Crows Nest, are the reason most people come, and the reason your dog cannot come on the walks: dogs are not permitted on the walking tracks in either park. Plan the rainforest walks in shifts and take the dog on quiet local road walks between them. The birdlife around the garden is exceptional, which is another reason the host's fence rules are not negotiable.

Getting there and parking

Esk Hampton Road is the scenic ridge road that links the Esk valley to Hampton on the New England Highway, and the cottage has free on-site parking at the door. It sits in the High Country Hamlets stretch between Ravensbourne and Hampton, so most supplies come from Crows Nest or Highfields a short drive away.

While you're out there

For a leashed coffee run, The Hamptons Bakery at Hampton and Salt and Jam at Crows Nest are both nearby directory listings, and the Harris Park Dog Off Leash Area at Highfields gives your dog a proper off-lead run on the drive in from Toowoomba.

More options are on the Queensland pet friendly stays guide and the Ravensbourne destination page.

Max: check the fence line with your dog on lead before you unclip. It passed a dachshund's inspection, but every escape artist deserves their own audit.