The Hideaway Torquay

The Hideaway is a pet-friendly coastal house in Torquay about 200 metres from the beach, set up for families with a built-in doggie door so the dog can move between the house and the yard on its own. Host Lucy runs it across Airbnb and Riparide, and pets are permitted when requested at booking.

Dogs at The Hideaway

Pets are permitted but must be requested when you book, so ask rather than assume. The practical draw is the doggie door opening onto the enclosed outdoor areas and garden, so the dog can come and go while you are on the deck. No pet fee, size limit or dog count is published, and rules on furniture access are set by the host rather than a public policy, so message the host with your dog's size and any specifics before booking, and check the yard boundary yourself on arrival.

The place

The house sleeps up to six across three bedrooms with a mix of king, queen, double and single bedding, and carries a relaxed coastal cabin feel. Outside there is a fire pit, a BBQ and a pizza oven, which is the sort of setup where a sandy dog is welcome to lie nearby while dinner happens. The 200-metre beach walk is the real feature: no driving to the sand, and a home base at the start of the Surf Coast rather than a motel on the highway.

Close by with the dogs

Surf Coast Shire runs a timeshare system on its beaches: from 1 December to the end of February and over Easter, dogs are off-limits on timeshare beaches between 9am and 7pm, with off-leash allowed 7pm to 9am in those zones under effective control. Whites Beach allows off-leash at all times, and sections of the surf beach west of Rocky Point are off-leash year-round. For a walk, the Surf Coast Walk: Point Danger to Bird Rock starts close by, and Jan Juc Dog Beach is a short drive for a proper off-lead session. Bayaroma Cafe in town is a post-beach coffee stop, and BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Torquay is the alternative if you are towing.

More options are on the Victoria dog-friendly stays list, and the local guide is at Torquay.