Escape to Cuttaway Cottage in the Southern Highlands. This luxe, dog friendly country house comes complete with donkeys and ponies that you can feed over the fence as well as a private pool, king beds, cosy fireplace and a beautiful farmhouse kitchen. We also share some great dog friendly places to eat in the Southern Highlands (including a dog friendly afternoon tea!).
I ever I were to have my own accommodation, it would feature a dog friendly luxe country homestead with farm animals. There would be donkeys and ponies chewing contentedly on the grass outside your window and you would be able to pat and feed them whenever you wanted. The house would also have king beds, a pool and a beautiful kitchen to cook in and comfortable lounges to sink into at the end of the day.
And that's exactly what Cuttaway Cottage is like. It sleeps 6 people and is located in Woodlands, in the bucolic Southern Highlands, 10 minutes drive from Bowral.
Sometimes it's a challenge to find a dog friendly place with style but Cuttaway Cottage's owner Grainne Davidson has outfitted the home in modern country style using furniture pieces she inherited from her family. Grainne grew up riding horses in Dural and her father was a vet so animals were always a part of her life. She and her family moved from Sydney's Pymble to the Southern Highlands two years ago in March 2024 to pursue their daughters' love of horses. The Airbnb first opened to guests in August 2024 and the family live in a house on the property a couple of minutes walk away.
The cottage has three bedrooms and they're all a good size and all have king beds. One bedroom has an en suite and they are all beautifully decorated. We both choose the bedroom facing the farm where we can watch the donkeys and ponies grazing all day long. This room has an antique oak roll top desk for work but there is also an alcove with a desk also in the house.
The communal areas of the house are open plan with a comfortable leather lounge that Mr NQN immediately sinks into for a nap. I gravitate towards the gorgeous farmhouse kitchen with everything you would need to cook dinner here. The house is very clean and well appointed. The fireplace is stocked with plenty of wood and they have set up logs ready to burn in anticipation of chilly nights.
There is a tasty assortment of breakfast items on the kitchen island from bread, local jam, milk, Grainne's own delicious toasted muesli, "reindeer noses" aka Maltesers and a bottle of local Shiraz and a candle. Tea is in the pantry while a coffee machine sits on the counter.
There's no skimping on supplies with plenty of towels, tea lights and coffee pods. Dog owners also get a bag of delicious dried chicken treats and the use of dog grooming products in case your pooches need a bath. There are also dog bowls provided.
The main bathroom is spacious with a separate bathtub and a shower with excellent water pressure.
The rain has cleared and everything outside looks as it is were freshly polished. The private pool is bordered by hydrangea bushes and there is also an outdoor table for 6 and an outdoor lounge set to sit back and relax.
Teddy and Milo run around the corner and bark excitedly at the donkeys and ponies who greet us like a welcoming committee. They regard tiny barking Teddy placidly.
The three donkeys are a bonded pair of 16 year olds Fancy and Rosie and Fancy's 6 year old daughter Bella. However the welcome wagon is headed up by the tiny 6 year old Princess Polly who I have dubbed "Sweet Pea" who trots over eagerly whenever you approach the fence. Princess Polly's shy counterpart is Possum who is 27 years young with a blonde mane and chestnut hair.
Mr NQN takes a liking to Fancy, the beauiful chocolate coloured donkey as she is the quietest while I bond with Princess Polly who takes every opportunity for a scritch and a muzzle rub. She follows me along the fence to where I can find surer footing and pokes her nose through the holes in the fence.
Mollified by this display, Teddy and Milo run around exploring the rest of the area. They are having the time of their lives with all of the new farm smells and perhaps the scents left behind by other happy pups that have stayed here. The sun shines as we enjoy drinks on the patio.
At around 6pm Grainne and her husband Glyn and their lovely twin daughters come over and we feed the donkeys and ponies with carrots. Be careful to lay your hand completely flat including your thumb because a donkey bite can happen if they mistake your thumb for a carrot.
After this we make dinner and fall into bed for a good night's sleep. The next morning Mr NQN goes for a run and then devours Grainne's delicious toasted granola for breakfast. We have a purposefully easy start and Mr NQN goes for a swim in the pool and then we leave around noon in search of somewhere to eat for lunch.
Franquette is a relatively new creperie on the busy walking main street of Bowral. Importantly it also has dog friendly outdoor seating. Service is friendly and we start with a Franquett'ccino with espresso, salted caramel and milk frappé that is more like an iced coffee than an icy frappe.
We choose a sweet crepe for Mr NQN and a savoury crepe for me. I didn't really enjoy his sweet crepe but I did like the galette with beef brisket, cheese, caramelised onion, black garlic aioli, rosemary with a mixed leaf salad. It's not as heavy as it sounds with small dabs of the beef brisket.
A few minutes walk away is Fermented that also has outdoor seating and is an offshoot of Baked in Berrima, the popular bakery in the neighbouring suburb of Berrima. The pork and fennel sausage roll is delicious as is the meat pie. And for research purposes we try the meat lovers focaccia, halved and filled with prosciutto, stracciatella, baby spinach, roasted cherry tomatoes, pickles and pesto.
At this time, the rain starts falling - in the Southern Highlands, the weather can change quickly. We beat a hasty retreat back to the house where Mr NQN has his eye on one thing: his afternoon nap. Teddy and Milo jump out of the car and quickly run to look for the donkeys.
This evening, with the rain falling outside, we enjoy some home made seafood lasagne and salad and fall asleep easily.
It's Sunday morning and I awake to the sound of donkeys braying outside the bedroom. Perhaps they can smell the watermelon that we bought to feed them and are ready for their breakfast. Today we have a dog friendly afternoon tea booked at the nearby Centennial Vineyards.
Tip: The afternoon tea needs to be booked and paid for at least 1 day ahead of time and is a very reasonably priced $58 a person.
It's a perfect summer's day when we take a seat outside and sip on apple & cinnamon and raspberry mojito Harney & Sons tea in the courtyard under the shade of an umbrella. We have brought a mat for the dogs to lie on but of course Teddy and Milo stretch out in the sun.
We start with the sandwiches like the open focaccia with coronation chicken and a creamy egg salad finger sandwich. The freshly fried pesto arancini ball with aioli and creamy Thai pumpkin soup are also delicious.
The sweets layer has a fruit trifle cup with blueberries, pineapple and peaches as well as a lemon tart with a crisp shell and a crunchy meringue on top. My favourite is the chocolate and walnut brownie square with chocolate ganache and half a strawberry on top.
There are also scones - plain and with sultanas with a delicious blueberry jam and whipped cream. Mr NQN solves the dilemma of jam or cream first by just adding jam onto his scone while I layer lashings of cream and jam.
After this it's a walk around Bowral and a browse inside the shops before we head back to relax back at the house. Sometimes the best vacations away involve a little adventure out and then rushing back home for a productive afternoon doing very little. Except for feeding donkeys watermelon wedges, long naps and eating.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you travel with your dog, and what is the one thing that makes a place truly dog friendly for you? Would you prefer a traditional hotel getaway or a country stay with farm animals?
Cuttaway Cottage
Woodlands, Southern Highlands of NSW
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