Half Moon Bay Beach Off Leash Area

Half Moon Bay is a compact crescent of soft sand below the Black Rock cliffs, with the wreck of HMVS Cerberus sitting just offshore. It is one of the calmer off-leash swims on the bayside, and the whole visit hinges on timing: winter is unrestricted, but summer locks dogs out through the middle of the day.

Leash status

Under Bayside City Council rules, from 1 April to 31 October dogs are off-leash at any hour under effective voice control. From 1 November to 31 March the beach is closed to dogs between 10am and 7:30pm, off-leash from sunrise to 10am, and on-leash from 7:30pm to sunrise. The off-leash area covers the main swimming stretch, but seasonal times do change, so check the on-site council signage before you unclip.

Water and terrain

Gentle waves and clear water make this an easy swim for most dogs, including tentative ones. The bay is small, roughly 350 metres, and narrow, so low tide gives you far more room to run while high tide shrinks the sand considerably. Rocky sections sit at the edges, and the jetty is popular with anglers.

Pepsi: in summer come right at sunrise and you will have the whole bay before the 10am cut-off. After that it is on-lead walks on the bluffs only.

Getting there and parking

The beach is off Cerberus Way, reached via Beach Road. Ticketed parking applies on Cerberus Way from roughly 8am to 8pm including public holidays, and it fills early on warm weekends. Sandringham is the nearest train station, with buses running along Beach Road and Bluff Road.

Worth knowing

The Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary runs along the coast nearby: keep dogs out of the protected rock pools and off marked conservation areas. Public toilets and a water tap sit by the beach, and the bluffs above hold a picnic area with a playground and BBQs where dogs stay on-lead.

When to go

Winter weekday mornings are the quietest and give all-day off-leash access. In summer the sunrise-to-10am window at low tide is the sweet spot. It suits gentle swimmers and social dogs.

While you're out there

Ricketts Point at Beaumaris is an all-day off-leash stretch a few minutes down Beach Road, and Sandringham Harbour dog beach stays dog-friendly year round when Half Moon Bay's summer hours bite. The Colonel's Son is a coffee stop on the way through Black Rock village.

More options are on the Victoria dog beaches guide and the Black Rock destination page.