As you approach the front porch of Glencoe Country B&B…you will almost certainly be greeted by ‘The Boss,’ also known as Howard, the rescue house cat. Being pet friendly accommodation near Cradle Mountain, we welcome all of our guests to bring your fur babies – even your horse – with you when you stay with us (as long as you get permission from The Boss, of course).
At the guest house, we have a good range of domestic and farm animals in our grounds who love to be patted, fed, photographed, and generally made a fuss over.
We also have a number of Highland cattle on our property. As the name suggests, Highland cattle originate from the Highlands area of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides. This rugged, windswept region in the far north of the country requires the breed to be extremely hardy, so their long horns and shaggy coats help them to cope with the harsh cold temperatures, drifting snow and severe winds.
While the adult bulls can weigh up to as much as 800kgs and the cows around 500kgs…their calves are surprisingly 
small. Highland cattle calves are some of the cutest-looking calves you’ll ever see; often looking more like teddy bears than livestock.
Interestingly, while a group of cattle is mostly called a ‘herd,’ for Highland cattle they are known collectively as a ‘fold’ due to the stone shelters they were kept in for Scottish winters, protecting them from the worst of the weather.
You will see both colour variations of Highland cattle here – black and dun (a reddish brown), which are very happy to be hand fed and petted.
Chloe the cow is due to have her calf anytime now, so there’s never a dull moment here.
Additionally, we have sheep and goats that you can hand feed and pat (if they are feeling sociable). The goats love to be hand fed and will let you pet them at almost any time of the day.
With the sheep, you’ll also meet Slim, our working dog. Guests can watch him round up our sheep and be in his element as he chases them round the paddock.
If the feathered kind of animal is more what you’re after, we keep plenty of free-range chickens in our gardens. At certain times of the year you can play with their chicks, too. Walk through all of our gardens and enjoy a relaxing drink near the pond and waterfall listening to the abundant bird life.
Outside of our property, the region boasts a vast selection of animals that you can see in various places, some in the wild. Cradle Mountain is well-known for being able to get close (but not too close) to wombats. Around the region, you will also see wallabies, pademelons and Tasmanian devils. If you’re lucky, you can also occasionally see a wild wedge-tailed eagle feeding on some carrion by the side of the road.
Tasmanian pademelons are the smallest members of the family which includes the more commonly known kangaroos and wallabies. They look quite similar to wallabies, but in addition to being smaller they have shorter, thicker tails that have less hair. Just like wallabies though, they get around mostly by hopping.
So, if you’re an animal lover and enjoy their company – come and stay with us at our pet friendly accommodation near Cradle Mountain and we’ll endeavour to make your stay as relaxing as possible.
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