Skillogalee

Skillogalee is a working vineyard estate in the Clare Valley's Spring Gully, pairing a cellar door with cottages set among vineyard rows and old olive trees. This is wine country accommodation in the proper sense: you arrive, pour a glass of the estate riesling, and then walk to your cottage instead of driving home.

It suits couples chasing the Clare Valley's cool climate wines and travellers who want the valley's food and cellar doors within stumbling distance.

Dogs at Skillogalee

Per the estate's own dog policy, well behaved dogs are welcome in the pet friendly cottages, which are Owl Cottage, Wren Cottage and Willow Glen House. The fee is 25 dollars per dog per stay, with a weight limit of 30 kg and larger dogs possible by prior arrangement.

Dogs are not permitted in bedrooms or on furniture, must not be left unsupervised, and stay on leash at all times because this is a working farm property. Dog bowls are provided, which saves you packing one.

At the cellar door, dogs are outside guests: the lawned areas welcome them weather permitting, while the restaurant, tasting rooms and veranda dining stay human only. Regulars claim a patch of lower grass near the vines early, order a cheese board, and let the dog tuck in under the table.

The leash rule is not decoration: kangaroos graze the vine edges at dawn and dusk, and vehicles and equipment work through the rows. Keep the dog close even if recall is rock solid at home.

The vibe

The cellar door pours the estate's riesling with wine pairing on offer, and guests describe the cottages as cosy with vineyard views from the verandah. Owl Cottage gets named specifically by returning visitors.

This is the Clare Valley at its most self-contained: wine at the door, quiet nights, and the Riesling Trail within reach for morning walks.

While you're out there

Clare town is a short drive for supplies and coffee, and the valley's other cellar doors line the roads south through Penwortham, Leasingham and Auburn. The Riesling Trail's sealed path takes walkers and cyclists through the middle of it all.

Locals map a morning stretch along the nearby Clare Valley Wine and Wilderness Trail segments to burn off a dog's energy before settling in on the lawn for lunch.

Pair the stay with a stop at Shut the Gate Wines or Tim Adams Wines in Clare, and stretch the legs on the Neagles Rock Lookout short walk. More dog friendly SA stays are listed for the trip home.