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There's a BYO system in Daylesford - but it's not for beer or wine. And it sure as heck isn't for water - not in a town most famous for its natural mineral springs.
In Daylesford, BYO refers to bedding.
Every weekend, scores of holiday-makers make the 90-minute
journey from Melbourne into Victoria's Highlands - bringing with them an old patchwork quilt or a squishy floor cushion; maybe even slightly stained, frayed-edged wool blankets.
The bedding is not for the humans. It's for their dogs. Because Daylesford is also famous for being very, very dog-friendly.
Dog-friendly accommodation websites proudly brandish their Five Paw Ratings and proclaim, "Even dogs need a holiday and should not be left behind".
Doberman or dachshund, huntaway or handbag pooch, in this town they're all allowed inside for the night.
But, for a dog-loving New Zealander, strolling the main streets of Daylesford and the neighbouring Hepburn Springs, the warm-fuzzy open-arms attitude to pets is of little comfort.
If anything, arriving in Daylesford and fawning over other people's dogs was like the ultimate betrayal, especially once I returned to New Zealand.
My own retriever, Gracie, who I had farmed out to a kindly relative, reacted like a wife discovering lipstick on her husband's collar. With my suitcase flipped open on the lounge floor, she was blood-hound-quick to catch a whiff of unknown schnauzer on my jacket; or perhaps it was a little residual bichon frise; maybe even that dalmatian's drool, long since dried?
Melburnian Kristy Andruszko cottoned on to Daylesford's dog-friendly demeanour years ago and gave up her career as a restaurateur to open the first of her Puppy Phat stores. "Phat" is an urban-hip, mod-speak word meaning "damn fine".
And for dogs Puppy Phat is definitely very phat. Andruszko allows them inside her "pet lifestyle stores" where they can choose their own edible treats or be fitted for doggie scarves, beanies, cosy winter jackets or, in keeping with the latest fashion craze for hip street-wear-conscious humans, even hoodies.
As she explains, "Many dogs walk in [to the store] nude and then walk out dressed in Puppy Phat fashion and ready to go cafe-hopping down the street with their owners."
For holidaying New Zealand dog-owners, Puppy Phat is a must-visit shop to do the right thing and take home gifts to the waiting pooch.
The local authority, the Hepburn Shire Council, appreciates the importance of pets. Residents are encouraged to form friendships "through their mutual love of animals", says the council's communications officer, Sue Moses.
The council hosts "Paws Around the Lake", a dog-walking event, and also runs a sort of blind date concept for dogs and their owners. Residents who are a bit shy about approaching someone for a shared dogwalk can download a form and drop it into the letter box of a pet owner, inviting them to join them for a walk.
But tourists who don't particularly care for canines need not fear being sniffed and slobbered over. The dogs I met were clearly well-behaved family pets and completely restrained by caring owners.
Jillian and Lindsay Lincoln found Daylesford "such a beautiful country town and an easy drive from Melbourne," they moved there 16 years ago, intent on setting up Daylesford Country Cottages - self-contained, historic cottage accommodation where "people can holiday with their best friends - their dogs".
There's a lot of quaint cottage accommodation throughout Daylesford and Hepburn Springs; some double as spa and massage retreats, and at the majority of them, you won't be picking dog hairs off your best threads.
There's no discernable border where Daylesford meets Hepburn Springs, other than the 'welcome' signs, but both settlements could easily keep you in town for a couple of days, with their wonderful shops filled with antiques, bric-a-brac, books, stunning original art, cottage crafts and natural health products and organics.
With a history of Swiss Italians settling in the area in the 1800s, there's a strong sense of their culture - ranging from an annual Swiss-Italian festival to Italian and Swiss-style cafes and bakeries, and even a bed and breakfast simply named "Old Chilli".
And if country-style cottages - which sometimes host dogs with their owners - are not your style, there's always Peppers Springs Retreat, a rather grand hotel at the far end of Hepburn Springs and three kilometres out of Daylesford.
The hotel's main building is circa-1935; fully-restored and striking art deco style, with a grand dining room and a new day-spa.
Behind the main building, cabin-style rooms nestled under trees are more casual.
While there's no BYO requirement here for dog-bedding, I wonder if the management knows there is at least one four-legged creature in residence... a certain nocturnal tree-dwelling native that went walkies on my roof and dogged my sleep.
Victoria Bartle travelled to Melbourne and Daylesford courtesy of House of Travel.
