An idyllic countryside retreat for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels offers everything a dog desires, discovers Nicky Park of AAP. Bigger breeds need not apply.
Royalmint is the name of a different kind of homestay. It isn't the kind of place that you would stumble across while strolling the quaint streets of Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands, nor is it a mint.
It's accommodation for dogs. Or more specifically, for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
I'd discovered this little gem online, and as a devoted dog lover I had to investigate more.
So one wet weekend I just happened to be in Bowral - a popular hotspot for getaways, which offers all the usual trimmings that come with a country town - antique shops, cute cafes and rolling hills.
I headed to Royalmint, where the owner Helen Taylor had agreed to take me for a look around her homestead.
At Alexandra Crescent the D-I-Y Cavalier-shaped letterbox marked the spot. The winding footpath leading to Royalmint was lined with country living favourites - bronze cows, ceramic ducks and miniature seating.
Taylor welcomed me with her warm hospitality. Hot on her heels were five cute cavaliers.
The introductions to her furry friends began. First there were Taylor's three "children" Ophelia, Heloise and Alexander.
Millie comes everyday for daycare and Beauregard and Toby were visiting while their "parents" were out of town.
Taylor put on the kettle to make me a steaming cup of Earl Grey. While it was brewing we took a tour of her property.
Gertrude the "house-goat" was resting under a tree near the chicken coop. Taylor told me Gertrude let herself into the house the other day, she was found snoozing in the bedroom.
It was early afternoon and time for the chooks to be released for a romp around the property.
This freedom meant the chickens could peck around giving them the hilliest yolks and tasty eggs, Taylor explained.
When the chickens were released, Phillip and Elizabeth, a couple of ducks, came out of hiding to go for a run.
Henry the shetland pony heard Taylor's voice and began to neigh, trying to get her attention, and a possible feed.
Kids were able to hop on Henry and go for a trot around the yard, Helen said.
Henry came close enough for me to give his coarse nose a rub, unfortunately I was a little too big to saddle up.
Barbara the sheep, stood back, sporting a bandana around her neck.
The award for cutest couple in the yard went to alpaca pair Pluto and Aristotle. Their big eyes adorned with the longest lashes gazed over, looking blankly at me.
Taylor gets them shorn and the wool spun and will knit a scarf on request - for a small fee.
We retreated back inside to escape the chill and Taylor told me the origins of this place.
"I had a dream," she began. "I always loved the country.
"I had this dream about building a house, and I've never built anything, I must have had rocks in my head at the time.
"I designed all this with, in mind, to do the homestay for the cavaliers.
"My dream was to see them running around the garden free all the time, and so that's what happened."
She allows a maximum of 10 "children" to stay in the "dorms", complete with heated blankets, comfy beds and Cavalier paraphernalia as far as the eye can see.
She charges $A30 ($NZ39) for an overnight stay or $A20 for daycare.
Her obsession with the breed begs the question - why?
"Cavaliers only like Cavaliers," Taylor said. "They really only like their own. They're quiet, they're affectionate, they love one another and they all get on."
She will make exceptions, but the guest must be small and come for a trial run.
"It must come here first and see if they get on with the cavaliers and with me, because if the temperament isn't right, we don't get on," she said.
Taylor's place is warm, cosy and something a little left of centre.
I'm one of the first people to come and check out Royalmint but Taylor welcomes others to do the same.
"It's very quiet and peaceful. (You) can roam around the garden ... (and) see the animals.
"Just wander around."
