Our Doggy Holiday – Mount Olive Studio – The Wagon - Dog Friendly Accommodation

If you are here reading this, then I’m almost certain you consider your pup as one of the family and as we all know aside from the endless organising, planning and packing, one of the hardest parts about heading away on a family break is having to leave your best FURiend behind. They watch you with those big soft eyes as you pull suitcases out of the loft and fold clothes into bags and the whole time your heart strings are being tugged by their puzzled expressions and notoriously sweet head tilts. They really are good at giving us the guilts aren’t they! Where did they learn to perfect it so acutely?!

Next time you feel that call to venture to pastures new and soak up some time out with the family, why not bring those big soft eyes and puzzled expressions along and turn them into bright sparkly peepers and happy flappy tongue faces? We have just the place to bark on about until the hounds come home!

As you all know, our pups work alongside us every day at Doggy Daycare. They are here in the paddocks from open until close, slogging away. Constantly checking the environment for optimal fun (rolling in the grass), alerting us to new friends approaching (barking at every arrival) and running quality control on all play equipment (asking us to throw toys and refusing to return them). It’s a hard life so let’s face it, we figured they deserved a holiday and what holiday we gave them!

Mount Olive studio is in Hovea, about 5 kilometres outside of Mundaring. We stayed at Mount Olive’s Wagon, which is an old, renovated train carriage that sleeps up to 6 guests. This beautiful set up perches high on top of a hill lending itself to some spectacular scenery. The accommodation at Mount Olive Wagon and Studio are more than just Dog Friendly accommodation. They have quite literally designed your stay with your dog in mind. So, one of the first things I noticed was how clean the accommodation was, it wasn’t just okay, it was sparkly! The linen is all Sheridan brand and beautiful textures and quality. The hosts provide boxes of linen and towels especially for you to use if your dog likes to sleep on the couches or beds and even provide dogs towels for when you visit the dog friendly swimming pool or natural dam or even if they wish to take a bit of R&R in the bubbly warm hot tub that both the Wagon and Studio boast (they even provide steps to help pups climb in, I mean if that isn’t dog inclusive, I don’t know what is! Oh and by the way, the hot tub … also squeaky clean!)

There are dog bowls and toys provided and even a little tub of doggy treats! They didn’t forget the hoomans though and we were also greeted with a welcome bottle of wine and a couple of beers on our arrival! That certainly quenched the thirst we worked up brining our luggage up the hill and most definitely eased us nicely into holiday mode!

The surrounds are something else!! We are talking bird song, rustling leaves of the forest, sunsets to die for and the twinkling lights of the city scape in the evening. Sinking into the tub or the hammocks and swing chairs is like taking a load off your shoulders and just feeling at one with nature and all the tranquillity it offers. It gives you that feeling of renewal, like waking from a deep sleep. It’s not often my brain quietens but I really did surrender to it here. The property sits on 20 acres of “Sniffari adventures”. There are walk trails, wildflowers, a doggy swimming pool and a natural dam all at your doorstep just waiting for your pups to explore.

 Now I’m not here to sell this property and have no ties to it other than to give you the down low for you to decide if it would be a good place to take fido on a trip. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Our trip didn’t come without a few hiccups; “what? “I can hear you say “what could possibly go wrong taking a vacation with four dogs and a child?!”, and yes our circumstances were specific to our family (glutton for punishment I guess) but I do feel it’s worth taking heed of a few things. I will start by saying that when we first arrived at the Wagon, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Travelling with four dogs and a five-year-old, we had quite the haul of luggage. Dog Beds, food, toys, human luggage and given that it isn’t an easy feat eating out with our size of doggy family, we also had all of our food and drinks for the week. So, to say it was a bit of a kafuffle when we arrived to have to carry our belongings up 85 steps of rocky terrain is a little bit of an understatement. The Parking is a fair way down from the Wagon, you can access parking a little further up the hill if you have a 4WD but it is still a way to carry your bags. So, if you do plan on bringing a lot with you or if you aren’t too agile under foot, the Wagon may not be your first choice. The property also lets a Studio which is located at ground level and boasts closer parking and much a more accessible entrance to its accommodation so that’s something to bear in mind. I must say though that if you don’t mind the climb, the views from the Wagon were worth every trip up and down those steps.

Another thing to have in mind is that the 20 acres of ”sniffari” are quite literally off leash doggy paradise (we are talking scents galore, mud to roll in, sticks to retrieve and endless fun) and the excitement in our pups was next level. We generally find our dogs have fairly good recall but the two trouble makers of our pack did succumb to the over excitement and disappeared on some unauthorised adventures. Don’t worry, they had the time of their lives and returned to us unscathed but it is worth commenting that unless your dog has impeccable recall (Good boy mention to Marley & Bear here, not so much Lucy & Beau); it is worth considering packing a long leash to aid safe explorations. Another thing to consider is how your dog handles uneven terrain and large drops. Being in the hills, it’s a given that you won’t be exploring flat ground the whole time but there are quite a few steep trails, areas with sheer drops and large boulders to navigate around, particularly in the pool area. Our older pup Marley did injure his leg a little running too fast downhill, so if you have pups with any hip or joint issues, again, a leash may be a safer option.

The property has two holiday units and a residential house within its grounds so although we didn’t cross paths with any other pups, it is worth noting that there are other dogs on the property. Both holiday properties are fully enclosed and a way apart from each other. The main residence sits at the front of the property, so aside from driving in and out you aren’t likely to need to worry about that, (although the hosts do ask that you avoid walking past the very front of their home with your dogs as their own pups do use the area for toileting and they have five dogs! Yes! Five… see we are not the only dog hoarders)! The Wagon has a terrace that runs around the front of the carriages and around to the side where the hot tub is located. The terrace fencing is quite low, so it wouldn’t be ideal for dogs that like to jump fences. The studio has a courtyard and an attached huge doggy paddock, the size of 2-3 tennis courts so this is a great set up for dogs that want their own private secure space to run and play. The fencing is about five feet so again, it is worth considering that if you do have any fence clearers in your pack.

Once we got into our groove and worked out what worked for us and our dogs, we really did sink into that blissful holiday relaxation. Our pups spent their days, swimming, sunbathing and exploring and the evenings have never been filled with more puppy snuggles and snoring boopers. We honestly cannot wait to return. We will give the Studio a whirl next time with the whole clan and I may take Marley back to the Wagon for a slow weekend to soak up some spring sunshine and give him some one on one spoils that all our old souls deserve.