Belongil South
Calm, shallow, 24/7 off-leash. The everyday beach, five minutes from town.
Belongil rulesDestination
Dog-friendly Byron Bay
Beloved coastal town with strong dog culture, multiple off-leash beaches, dog-friendly hinterland, Virgin Australia now flies Gold Coast which is just a 1h drive
NSW·9 hours from Sydney·2 hours from Brisbane·Best Sep-Nov, Mar-May (avoid school holidays)
Beaches · 7
All 7 beaches in Byron Bay
beach Dogs welcomeTallow Beach Dog Exercise Area
Dog-friendly beach in Suffolk Park, NSW
Suffolk Park, NSW 4.8 (71)
beach Dogs welcomeBelongil Beach South - Dog Exercise Area
Dog-friendly beach in Byron Bay, NSW
Byron Bay, NSW 4.7 (76)
beach Dogs welcomeNew Brighton Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in New Brighton, NSW — off-leash area
New Brighton, NSW 4.6 (52)
beach Dogs welcomeSouth Golden Beach Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in South Golden Beach, NSW — off-leash area
South Golden Beach, NSW 5.0 (10)
Brunswick Heads Main Beach Dog Exercise Area
Dog-friendly beach in Brunswick Heads, NSW
Brunswick Heads, NSW 4.4 (19)
Seven Mile Beach Dog Beach Car Park (Lennox Head)
Dog-friendly beach in Lennox Head, NSW — off-leash area
Lennox Head, NSW 1.0 (1)
beach Bruns beach dog exercise area
Dog-friendly beach in Brunswick Heads, NSW
Brunswick Heads, NSW
Parks · 1
Parks in NSWTrails · 6
All 6 trails in Byron Bay
trail Dogs welcomeLennox Head Boardwalk
Lennox Head, NSW 4.7 (59)
Brunswick Valley Heritage Park
Mullumbimby, NSW 4.5 (111)
Byron Creek Walk
Bangalow, NSW
Coastal Recreational Path
Lennox Head, NSW
Ewingsdale Road Shared Path
Ewingsdale, NSW
Simpson's Creek Walk
Brunswick Heads, NSW
Cafes · 40
All 40 cafes in Byron Bay
cafe Dogs welcomeOtherside Cafe
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (718)
cafe Dogs welcomeHappy Days
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (98)
cafe Dogs welcomeJimmy's Coffee Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (86)
cafe Dogs welcomeTayzies
Mullumbimby, NSW 4.9 (80)
cafe Dogs welcomeTones at Soko
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (75)
cafe Dogs welcomeTimbo Mullum
Mullumbimby, NSW 4.9 (70)
cafe Dogs welcomeBarefoot Brew Room
Byron Bay, NSW 4.7 (344)
cafe Dogs welcomeByron Bay Canteen
Byron Bay, NSW 4.8 (74)
cafe Tallow Cafe & Bar
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (36)
cafe Dogs welcomeThe Paddock Project
Mullumbimby, NSW 4.7 (109)
cafe Dogs welcomeFootbridge Cafe
Brunswick Heads, NSW 4.6 (540)
cafe Dogs welcomeOld Maids
Brunswick Heads, NSW 4.6 (494)
Restaurants · 20
All 20 restaurants in Byron Bay
restaurant Dogs welcomeBetty's Burgers
Byron Bay, NSW 4.8 (1,818)
restaurant Dogs welcomeNo Bones Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.8 (1,365)
restaurant Dogs welcomeRoca Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.8 (704)
restaurant Dogs welcomeLight Years - Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.7 (1,679)
restaurant Dogs welcomeChihuahua Taqueria
Byron Bay, NSW 4.7 (1,399)
restaurant Dogs welcomeSaint Maries
Brunswick Heads, NSW 4.7 (540)
restaurant Dogs welcomeBang Bang Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.6 (1,538)
restaurant Dogs welcomeShelter Lennox Head
Lennox Head, NSW 4.6 (781)
restaurant Dogs welcomeChido Cantina
Lennox Head, NSW 4.6 (223)
restaurant Dogs welcomePuglia Pasta Bar
Byron Bay, NSW 4.5 (397)
restaurant Dogs welcomePixie Italian
Byron Bay, NSW 4.5 (351)
restaurant Dogs welcomeByron Banh Mi
Byron Bay, NSW 4.5 (112)
Stays · 27
All 27 stays in Byron Bay
stay Dogs welcomeBeach Suites – Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (111)
stay Dogs welcomeThe Beach Shack
Byron Bay, NSW 4.9 (61)
The Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
Brunswick Heads, NSW 4.6 (202)
stay Dogs welcomeTallow Beach Houses Byron Bay
Suffolk Park, NSW 4.6 (68)
stay Dogs welcomeShambhala
Byron Bay, NSW 4.6 (52)
stay Dogs welcomeOcean Shores Motel
Ocean Shores, NSW 4.5 (137)
stay Dogs welcomeTallow Beach Motel
Suffolk Park, NSW 4.5 (117)
Shirley Blue
Dog-friendly beach in Byron Bay, NSW — off-leash area
Byron Bay, NSW 4.5 (53)
stay Dogs welcomePacifique Luxury Villas Byron Bay Suffolk Park Broken Head
Byron Bay, NSW 4.5 (11)
Byron Stay
Byron Bay, NSW 4.8 (4)
stay Dogs welcomeReflections Lennox Head - Holiday Park
Lennox Head, NSW 4.3 (673)
stay Dogs welcomeA PERFECT STAY - Clique 3
Byron Bay, NSW 5.0 (2)
Suburbs & towns in Byron Bay · 11
Where the off-leash sand actually is
Byron has two round-the-clock dog exercise beaches and neither is Main Beach. Belongil Beach South is the town one: 1.6 km of calm, shallow water on the western side, off-leash all day, every day. Tallow Beach at Suffolk Park is the wild one, open coast with a designated zone that also runs around the clock.
Brunswick Heads Main Beach is the trap for first-timers: off-leash is only the marked zone south of the surf club, on the wet sand, and the dunes are strictly off limits.
Three beaches, three different days
Pick by what your dog is like, not by what's closest.
Tallow Beach
Long, wild and empty. Bring a lead for the walk in, let them run in the zone.
Tallow rulesBrunswick Heads
Marked zone south of the surf club only, wet sand only. Worth it for the river town afterwards.
Bruns rulesAfter the beach
Cafes that won't blink at sandy paws
Outdoor tables, water bowls, no fuss.
Around Byron
Barefoot Brew Room
The Sebel Byron Bay
Tallow Beach Motel, Suffolk Park
Marvell St Cafe & Bar
Good to know
Which Byron Bay beaches are off-leash?
Belongil Beach South (the town's main dog exercise beach, off-leash around the clock) and the designated zone at Tallow Beach, Suffolk Park (also 24/7). Main Beach and The Pass are not dog beaches.
Can dogs go on Brunswick Heads Main Beach?
Only in the marked off-leash zone south of the surf club, and only on the wet inter-tidal sand. Dunes and dune rehabilitation areas are off limits.
When is the best time to bring a dog to Byron?
September to November and March to May: warm enough to swim, cooler sand, and outside the school holidays when parking and the beaches fill up.
How far is Byron Bay from Brisbane and Sydney?
About 2 hours by road from Brisbane and around 9 hours from Sydney. Gold Coast airport is roughly an hour's drive.
Planning a trip?
See every dog-friendly stay in Byron Bay
Verified pet policies, not 'pets on request'.