Little Austinmer Beach

Little Austinmer Beach, known locally as Little Austi, is a small cove of sand and rock platform just south of the main Austinmer Beach, and it carries one of the best designations on the Illawarra coast: a council green zone, so dogs are off leash at any hour, any day.

Leash status

Dogs run off leash on the sand around the clock under Wollongong City Council rules, but they must be under effective control and on a lead on the paths, ramps and stairs down to the beach. The allowance stops at the rock platforms and ocean pools, and the limit is four dogs per handler. Main Austinmer Beach next door is a no-dog beach, so do not drift north along the waterline.

The beach itself

This is an undeveloped cove: no toilets, no water fountain on the sand, so bring your own water and be prepared to carry everything back out. It is unpatrolled, and it fishes best at low tide when the sandbar opens up, because high tide pushes the water back over most of the usable sand.

Max: stick to the signed green zone and keep off the rock platforms. It is an easy line to cross without noticing, and the ocean pools beside them are not for dogs either.

Getting there

Access is via a short, steep ramp or steps off the coastal path, reached from Lawrence Hargrave Drive where street parking is limited and disappears fast on sunny weekends. Austinmer station on the South Coast line is a five to ten minute walk, and buses along Lawrence Hargrave Drive stop near the access points.

Close by with the dogs

Bark at the Beach at Thirroul is a few minutes south and runs a similar all-hours off-leash setup with a creek for dogs that prefer a paddle to surf. Headlands Hotel above Austinmer takes a well-behaved dog on the outdoor deck, and Austinmer Gardens B&B is a local pet-friendly bed for the night.

More options are on the NSW dog friendly beaches guide and the Austinmer destination page.