We decided to head south for a wolfpack sojourn, and couldn't have been more delighted with The Atelier's Cottage. Nestled next to the Belmore River, this cottage has a fun retro feel to it, with just enough rustic charm melting into all the little luxuries.

It was late afternoon when we arrived, and we could tell that the sunset was going to be a good one. So Locky lit the fire, and we settled in to watch the peach show in front of us. The dogs tore around happily in the big fenced yard, making friends with the resident chickens and Buddy the dog. We were instantly relaxed and sat by the fire planning our weekend.

The next morning, we wandered to the jetty to enjoy our coffees and the morning sun. We had been told it was the perfect spot to watch the sunrise, but hadn't quite made it out of the super comfy warm bed early enough! It was a calm morning, but the wind predictions said it wouldn't last long, so we decided to take out the double kayak for a quick spin with the dogs. The river was winding and beautiful, we could have paddled for hours, but inevitable wind kicked off so we headed back home. After hot showers, we decided to take the dogs to the beach at Hat Head - the bay was picturesque, and the water was clear and inviting.

Hungry and ready for brunch, we headed into Gladstone and found The Gladstone Hub. We bee-lined for the cafe and ordered a Rueben sandwich to share that was oh so tasty. Afterwards, we checked out the rest of the hub with it's vintage shop, health food store, lovely locals, and op shop. Such a cute little town! We then dropped the dogs back to the cottage and drove to the Korogoro Walking track back in Hat Head. We did a breathtaking coastal loop walk. The wind had really picked up by now, so we decided to head back to the warm cottage and settle in for the afternoon.

We ran a bath, played some music, and nibbled on a charcuterie board that was complete with relish that we had found at a roadside stall earlier. We were all pooped and satisfied.

On our final morning, we took the bikes out for a ride from the cottage, there is a winding 5km road to explore, that then loops around back into Gladstone. We didn't make it the whole way as the wind was still strong and icy, but vowed to come back in the summer months so that we could explore even more.

We stopped at the Gladstone Markets after packing up the car. We found treats for the dogs, and treats for ourselves, then enjoyed a souvlaki before hitting the road back home. We will definitely come back to The Atelier's Cottage, it's the perfect halfway point on a drive from Byron to Sydney, and the most perfect place to stay with furry friends. The hosts Liesel & Nic were so divine and helpful, cannot recommend this Riparide enough!