Holiday homes: Need some vacation inspiration? Take a look at some of Australia's best

Need some holiday inspiration?

With long weekends looming and more than a hint of summer on the horizon, holiday rental website Stayz has released its list of finalists for the Holiday Home of the Year Awards.

New South Wales has the biggest share of the 24 chosen, with seven homes making the cut, but properties from Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania also filled out the four categories.

There’s a focus on family – furry and otherwise – in the Family Friendly and Pet Friendly categories, with judge Wendy Moore saying she was especially impressed by the standard of the Pet Friendly entries.

“A few years ago, when you put particularly a pet-friendly category, you kind of felt like you had to compromise on the quality,” she said. “What we are finding now is that the homes that are accepting pets are amazing.”

Some of the hosts had gone out of their way to provide a welcome gift for pets and suggestions for activities for them, something she’d like to see more of.

“I think that kind of pet-friendly home is becoming more of a must-have,” Ms Moore said.

Another critical factor was playing up the experience of the location, showcasing local activities and making it easy for guests to get around, with Ms Moore saying it was something she would recommend owners consider doing as a point of difference.

As for New South Wales’ dominance, it could, in part, be down to the demand from Sydneysiders looking to get out of the city for a bit.

“Particularly when you have a look at the stats; the people who go to the Stayz website – most of them are looking for something within a three or four-hour drive from where they live,” Ms Moore said, adding that beachside properties were a traditional favourite.

“Australians just love a holiday by the coast. I think when it comes to a family holiday, the beach is a bit of a no brainer.”

Ms Moore thought that much of the decorating trended towards a less complicated approach – not “boring by any stretch” – but aiming to cultivate a calming environment.

“The decor is quite simple, in a lot of them, but very stylish,” she said. “It really makes for a relaxing stay.”

The Pet Friendly category finalists include a Jervis Bay beach shack, a hill home in Dover, Tasmania, overlooking Port Esperance Bay, and an early settlers cottage in Port Elliot, while the Family Friendly category features a Mornington Peninsula homestead, a Hunter Valley retreat modelled on a Canadian hunting lodge and chalet, a charming Phillip Island A-frame and a Southern Highlands farmstay.

Amongst the finalists in the Design category is a stylish Byron Bay Beach house – which provided some interior design inspiration for Ms Moore –  a tropical escape in Noosa, a former cheese factory in the Adelaide Hills and a modern “art shack” on the Avon River near Toodyay.

And in the Unique Category, there’s a converted Kangaroo Valley machinery shed, a restored and relocated South Australian train carriage, an eclectic Port Douglas artist residence, an upmarket vineyard “shed”, a converted factory in the Southern Highlands and a very different take on the shipping container home.

“It’s the shipping container house that doesn’t look like a shipping container house,” Ms Moore said.  And there was nothing “gimmicky” about The Carriage in Mundaring – instead, it evoked a specific kind of historical glamour.

The tropical artist’s treehouse was, she thought, an amazing example of eclectic design done right.

“I love to see these unique homes,” she said. “You want to stay somewhere that you would never in a million years be able to create yourself.”

Ms Moore was joined this year by Ruby Parker, winner of the Stayz Junior Judge Competition. Voting for the People’s Choice Award is open, with the winners for all categories announced on October 16.