Billy Beach Off-Lead Dog Exercise Area

Billy Beach Off-Lead Dog Exercise Area sits at the end of Bay Street at Mallabula on the Tilligerry Peninsula, on the calm harbour side of Port Stephens next to Caswell Reserve. The reason dogs and their people keep coming back is the tide: at low water, enormous white sand flats open up into a shallow, gently sloping playground where dogs can run and wade for hours.

Leash status

This is a designated Port Stephens Council off-leash exercise area with 24/7 access, so there are no seasonal or time-of-day restrictions to plan around. Off-leash still means under effective control: you need reliable voice control of your dog and to stay present and supervising the whole time. Dangerous, menacing and restricted breeds are excluded from the area. The boardwalks and reserve land adjoining the beach are not part of the off-leash zone, so keep the lead on through Caswell Reserve and unclip once you are on the sand.

Max: the beach is unfenced and wide open to the harbour. If my recall is still under construction, keep that long line on me until I can prove otherwise.

Water and terrain

Timing is everything here. Low tide exposes vast shallow sand flats with water barely ankle deep for long stretches, ideal for dogs that like to splash and socialise without surf to fight. At high tide the usable sand narrows considerably, so check the tide chart and aim for the falling tide. The water is the sheltered harbour side, calm by ocean standards.

Getting there and parking

Take Lemon Tree Passage Road out to the peninsula and turn into Bay Street at Mallabula; the beach is at the end of the street beside Caswell Reserve. There is a free dedicated car park on site. No public transport runs to the beach itself, though regional buses travel Lemon Tree Passage Road if you do not mind a walk in.

Worth knowing

Caswell Reserve next door covers the practical side: public toilets, picnic tables, benches, a children's playground and a water tap for topping up bowls. There are no poo-bag dispensers, so bring your own bags and take them with you. Bring drinking water as well if you are staying a while.

When to go

Weekday mornings are the quiet window, particularly around low tide. Sunny weekend afternoons draw a bigger crowd of locals and their dogs, so arrive early if yours needs space to relax.

While you're out there

The Tanilba Bay side of the peninsula has flat gravel tracks and boardwalks through the Tilligerry Habitat bushland, all on-lead, which pairs well with a morning at Billy Beach. Across the bay, Bagnalls Beach Off-Lead Dog Exercise Area at Nelson Bay is another harbour-side off-leash option, and Salamander Bay On-Lead Dog Exercise Area suits a more contained paddle.

More options are in the New South Wales dog beaches guide and the Mallabula destination page.