Tarana Hotel

The Tarana Hotel is a classic country pub on the main street of Tarana, a small village between Lithgow and Bathurst in the NSW Central West. It pairs a beer garden with wide views over the Tarana Valley, pub meals seven days a week, and three self-contained cabins out the back that take dogs, which makes it one of the few overnight options in the district for travellers with a dog on board.

Dogs at the Tarana Hotel

The three self-contained cabins are the pet-friendly rooms; each sleeps up to five with a double bed and three single bunks, and no pet fee or size limit is advertised. Dogs are welcome in the beer garden and other outdoor areas, where water bowls often appear at the tables, and they should stay on lead in shared outdoor spaces. Expect the usual restriction from indoor dining rooms. As with most country pubs, call ahead on (02) 6337 5841 to confirm the current arrangements before booking, since the online detail is thin and policies shift.

The vibe

Old-world country pub, in the good sense: an open fire and pool table inside, wisteria over the beer garden, and a kitchen turning out standard pub meals at lunch and dinner daily. The veranda outlook across the valley is the reason scenic drivers and car clubs keep stopping here, and the village itself is quiet enough for an on-lead evening walk along the rural roads.

Getting there and parking

Tarana is about 30 minutes from Bathurst and roughly 2.5 hours from Sydney, on the road between Lithgow and Bathurst. Parking at the hotel is free and easy. Tarana also has a train station on the Main Western line, though it is a walk from the platform to the pub.

Max: book a cabin, not a drive-through stop. The beer garden at sunset is the part of the stay worth staying for.

Close by with the dogs

For an off-leash run, Kefford St Off-Leash Dog Park in Bathurst is about half an hour away. If you would rather stay out of town, A Winter Rose Cottage in Bathurst also takes dogs.

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