Tarcutta Hotel

The Tarcutta Hotel is a classic country pub on Sydney Street, the old Hume Highway strip through Tarcutta, and a natural halfway stop for anyone driving between Sydney and Melbourne with a dog in the car. Also known as the Horse and Jockey Hotel, it pours a cold beer, serves bistro meals like parmigiana and steaks, and offers pet-friendly rooms upstairs, which is a rare thing in a highway pub.

Dogs at the Tarcutta Hotel

The pub offers designated pet-friendly rooms located upstairs, so travelling dogs can stay overnight with their owners. Fees, size limits and how many of the upstairs rooms take pets are not published anywhere, so call ahead on +61 409 241 866 to lock in a pet room before you arrive, particularly with a large dog. During the day, dogs are welcome in the courtyard and beer garden rather than the main bar, and water bowls are often set out, though it pays to carry your own.

Room to stretch

The beer garden conveniently backs onto Tarcutta's local sports oval, which gives a dog a proper run after hours in the car, not just a sniff around the car park. The town's quiet side streets also suit a short leashed walk before dinner. If you would rather not stop walking at an oval, the Chaston Pet Hub in Wagga Wagga is about forty minutes further along the highway and is purpose-built for dogs.

Getting there

Tarcutta sits about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, just off the Hume Highway, and the pub is on Sydney Street with parking directly out front and roadside space nearby, easy even for cars towing vans or trailers. If the pet rooms are full, the Tarcutta Halfway Motor Inn up the street offers pet-friendly rooms as well, and the Coffee @ Joe's down the road is a morning-coffee stop for the next leg.

For more highway-ready options, see the New South Wales pet friendly stays guide and the Tarcutta destination page.