Jacaranda Cottages

Jacaranda Cottages is a small group of self-contained cottages and a chalet on 5.5 acres at Witta, just outside Maleny on the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Wallabies graze the paddocks and ducks paddle the property pond, which is part of the drawcard, and the property is genuinely pet-friendly, provided you clear the paperwork first.

Dogs at the Jacaranda Cottages

The policy has real conditions attached, all published on the property's own pet-friendly terms page. Approval is required in writing before arrival, and that includes emailing a recent photograph of your pet back to management; a booking note alone will not do it. An extra cleaning fee applies on top of a $500 bond, refundable within two days of departure if the cottage is left clean and undamaged. Any damage, chewed blinds, stains or marks on walls, is fully at the guest's expense.

Inside the cottage, dogs stay off all furniture and out of bedrooms for the whole stay, so bring your own pet food, bowls and bedding; the property supplies none of it. Dogs must be supervised at all times rather than roaming the grounds, and the cottages are a holiday stay, not a pet-minding service, so a dog left locked inside alone for the day is not on. The swimming pool and pool area are strictly off limits to dogs. All of this exists for a reason: the wildlife that shares the 5.5 acres.

Max: factor the $500 bond and the furniture rules into your packing list. A spare blanket for the car seat and the cottage floor saves an awkward conversation at checkout.

The cottages

Each cottage is self-contained with a kitchenette, and at least one has a spa bath and a fireplace, useful on cooler hinterland nights. There is a fire pit on site for evenings outdoors. Reviewers rate the property 4.5 from more than a hundred stays. With wallabies and ducks around the grounds, a leashed wander is the right pace rather than free running.

While you're out there

Witta sits a short drive from Maleny's main street, where Whit N Whimsy and Maleny Lane cover a dog-friendly coffee or dinner run. The Maleny Trail gives you a longer walk before you head back to the cottage, and Maleny Showground is an alternative pet-friendly base in the same patch of the hinterland.

More hinterland options are on the QLD dog-friendly stays guide and the Maleny destination page.