It has been over a year now since Indy was diagnosed with Meningitis and over this time I have been extremely reluctant to go away on holidays just in case Indy had some kind of relapse. It has been an extremely stressful 12 months and since he has been doing so well, I decided to mark the occasion and go away for a couple of nights to the Sunshine Coast to de-stress. Amber has already experienced a dog friendly weekend away but for Indy this will be his very 1st time!
I scoured through various holiday websites in search for a place to stay at relatively short notice. My pre-requisites for an ideal doggie holiday rental are:
- Small dog friendly (Seems like a no-brainer but some may say dog friendly but in the fine print state the dog must remain outdoors or when inside, in the laundry. Could you imagine the horror on Amber and Indy’s face’s!)
- Close to a dog friendly ‘on leash’ beach (I am not keen on ‘off leash’ beaches or dog parks. Especially with Amber’s not so pleasant recent encounter with a large dog that was off leash.)
- Walking distance to a dog friendly township (HELLO PEOPLE….this holiday is for me too, I still want my daily coffee fix!)
- Secure fencing for tiny dogs (Many have secure fencing but not quite secure enough for tiny dogs that can squeeze through pool fencing!)
- Offers minimum 2 night stays (I have found many places only offer 3 or more nights as a minimum.)
I finally found a place that seemed to have everything I was looking for and just so happened to have a last minute 20% booking discount. Bingo was his name!
“Lindsay Cottage” is a sweet little house located in Buderim. The picturesque township known as “Buderim Mountain” was settled in 1862 and is actually a plateau. At 180 metres (590ft) it technically sits just under the official height to be declared a mountain. “Buderim Mountain” overlooks the beautiful Sunshine Coast. The name “Buderim” is from the local Kabi Kabi Aboriginal word for the Hairpin Honeysuckle Banksia shrub, native to Australia.
“Lindsay Cottage” at Buderim
On arrival we were met by Janine the property owner. Immediately you can tell just how much she loves dogs! Janine has a wealth of knowledge about Buderim and the surrounding area and was quick to pull out a map and point out the best dog friendly locations to visit. With so many ‘off leash’ dog friendly beaches around we were super keen to learn there was an ‘on leash’ dog friendly beach located just 10 minutes drive away at Maroochydore. After a quick guided tour of the house, we were told to not hesitate to call if we had any questions. We were then left to unpack and settle in.
The first thing I noticed was how the cottage was impeccably clean and tidy; you would never guess it was dog friendly! Amber and Indy are the best judges of that, they spent a good 30 minutes sniffing every square centremetre of the place searching for any sign of doggie presence. All that hard work and they came up with nothing!
We Loved The Back Deck!
Finally satisfied with investigating what would be our new home for the next two nights we ventured outside onto the lovely large back deck which overlooked a shady and grassed backyard. I was pleased to see that the fencing was very secure and there was no way Amber and Indy could escape. Not wanting them to get into in any sort of trouble poking around in the backyard alone I placed a doggie gate I packed from home at the top of the stairs, that way I could keep an eye on my two little troublemakers.
Amber and Indy Have A Birds Eye View From The Deck!
It was starting to get late in the day so it was decided to leave the beaches for the following morning and instead take a 5 minute stroll to check out the local township. Here you will find antiques, cafes, restaurants, bakery, Woolworths, takeaways, quirky book shops, interesting clothing stores, nick-knack shops and a couple of real estate (just in case you fall in love with Buderim and can’t bear the thought of going home – yes I admit I did do some real estate window shopping myself.)
Lunch Time At Dog Friendly Peregian Village
After a very restful sleep we piled into the car the following morning and headed out to Peregian Beach, 25 minutes drive north of Buderim. The weather was a little drizzly but nothing in the world was going to stop us from taking a walk on the beach and grabbing some lunch at dog friendly “Peregian Village”.
The Rain Clouds Rolling In At Peregian Beach
As the dark and gloomy rain clouds started to roll in we decided it might be best to head back to Buderim and check out the ‘on leash’ dog friendly beach we had heard all about. That was the best decision we made, pulling into the car-park on the corner of Alexandra and Melrose Parades (beach access point 150) the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. We barrelled down the sand dunes with Amber and Indy straining at the end of their leads, trying in vain to get their as fast as their little legs would take them. It is not often that I am actually able to say that most seemed to respect the rules and dogs of all shapes and sizes walked and ran on leash happily alongside their owners.
Dogs Allowed On Leash Between Gates 147 – 156
The weekend came to an end far too quickly and with heavy hearts we loaded up the car and headed back to reality. As my two exhausted fur-babies slept soundly on the back seat I promised them that we would come back again and maybe next time we might just stay a little longer!
The On Leash Only Dog Beach Is PAWsome For Us Little Pooches!
Author Bio: Nikki is pack leader at Pressplay Pets, a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting. She is also proud mum to cute and cheeky Papillons ‘Amber’ and ‘Indy’ and one crazy Rainbow Lorikeet named ‘Ralph’! Follow my Facebook and Twitter.
Pressplay Pets a blog for the modern age pet parent interested in health & care, news, reviews & personal accounts of unconditional love & at times heartfelt pain of pet parenting!
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