Morning park run
Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick laps water on both sides; Ruffey Lake in the east has the fenced section for recall practice.
Wilson Botanic Park BerwickDestination
Dog-friendly Melbourne
Melbourne is the fenced-dog-park capital: everything from Princes Park to Point Ormond, plus creek trails linking the inner suburbs and cafe strips that compete for dog-friendliest.
VIC·Best Sep-Nov + Mar-May; summer heat limits midday walks
Beaches · 19
All 19 beaches in MelbourneSeaford (Keast Park) Off-Leash Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in Seaford, VIC — off-leash area
Seaford, VIC 4.4 (72)
beach Dogs welcomeAltona Beach Dog Off Leash Arena
Dog-friendly beach in Altona, VIC — off-leash area
Altona, VIC 4.7 (969)
beach Dogs welcomeHalf Moon Bay Beach Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly beach in Black Rock, VIC — off-leash area
Black Rock, VIC 4.8 (55)
Altona Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in Seaholme, VIC — off-leash area
Seaholme, VIC 4.7 (123)
beach Dogs welcomeMentone Beach Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly beach in Mentone, VIC — off-leash area
Mentone, VIC 4.7 (84)
beach Dogs welcomeRicketts Point Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly beach in Beaumaris, VIC — off-leash area
Beaumaris, VIC 4.6 (282)
Sandringham Harbour Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in Sandringham, VIC — off-leash area
Sandringham, VIC 4.6 (267)
beach Dogs welcomeCarrum Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in Carrum, VIC — off-leash area
Carrum, VIC 4.7 (50)
beach Port Melbourne Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in Port Melbourne, VIC — off-leash area
Port Melbourne, VIC 4.5 (389)
beach Brighton Beach Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly beach in Brighton, VIC — off-leash area
Brighton, VIC 4.5 (93)
beach Dogs welcomeSt Kilda Harbour Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in St Kilda, VIC — off-leash area
St Kilda, VIC 4.7 (16)
St Kilda West Dog Beach
Dog-friendly beach in St Kilda, VIC — off-leash area
St Kilda, VIC 4.8 (9)
Parks · 555
All 555 parks in Melbourne
park Dogs welcomeAkoonah Park Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Berwick, VIC
Berwick, VIC 5.0 (1)
park Dogs welcomeToomuc Creek Linear Reserve Dog Off Leash Area
Pakenham, VIC
park Dogs welcomeBrooklyn Reserve Fenced Dog Park
Dog-friendly fenced park in Brooklyn, VIC
Brooklyn, VIC 4.8 (207)
park Dogs welcomeDarebin Parklands Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Alphington, VIC
Alphington, VIC 4.9 (63)
park Private hire Dogs welcomeDoggy Play Park
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Dingley Village, VIC
Dingley Village, VIC 4.8 (135)
park Dogs welcomeWilson Botanic Park Berwick
Berwick, VIC 4.7 (4,067)
park Dogs welcomeRuffey Lake Park
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Doncaster East, VIC
Doncaster East, VIC 4.7 (2,876)
park Dogs welcomeEgan Reserve Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Coburg, VIC
Coburg, VIC 4.7 (117)
park Dogs welcomeMcKinnon Reserve Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly off-leash park in McKinnon, VIC
McKinnon, VIC 4.8 (48)
park Dogs welcomeParkwood Fenced Dog Park
Dog-friendly fenced park in Ringwood North, VIC
Ringwood North, VIC 4.7 (106)
park Dogs welcomeDoug Grant Reserve Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Altona, VIC
Altona, VIC 4.7 (89)
park Dogs welcomeVictoria Park Fenced Dog Off Leash Area
Dog-friendly fenced park in Abbotsford, VIC
Abbotsford, VIC 4.7 (78)
Trails · 222
All 222 trails in Melbourne
trail Dogs welcomeCardinia Aqueduct Trail
Pakenham, VIC 4.5 (250)
trail Dogs welcomeDarebin Parklands
Alphington, VIC 4.7 (1,326)
trail Dogs welcomeBayswater Park
Bayswater, VIC 4.7 (1,297)
Packer Park
Carnegie, VIC 4.7 (857)
Warrandyte River Walk
Warrandyte, VIC 4.7 (724)
trail Dogs welcomeYarra Bend Park
8.7 km, moderate walk
Kew, VIC 4.7 (271)
Port Melbourne to Brighton Beach
14.3 km, moderate walk
Port Melbourne, VIC 4.7 (270)
Main Yarra Trail North Side
5.3 km, moderate walk
Melbourne, VIC 4.7 (230)
Bay Trail: Port Melbourne to Mordialloc
29 km, moderate walk
Port Melbourne, VIC 4.7 (207)
Port Melbourne and Albert Park Loop
13.2 km, moderate walk
South Wharf, VIC 4.7 (132)
trail Dogs welcomeFlagstaff Gardens
West Melbourne, VIC 4.6 (8,160)
trail Dogs welcomeJells Park and Nortons Park Loop
10.6 km, moderate walk
Wheelers Hill, VIC 4.6 (5,253)
Cafes · 445
All 445 cafes in Melbourne
cafe Dogs welcomeHoly Toast
Cheltenham, VIC 5.0 (315)
cafe Dogs welcomeLittle Mavros
Mulgrave, VIC 5.0 (144)
cafe Dogs welcomeJimmy The Van
Altona, VIC 5.0 (123)
cafe Dogs welcomeEmil's Cafe
Pascoe Vale South, VIC 4.9 (760)
cafe Dogs welcomeSONIC BEAN & C0
Caulfield, VIC 5.0 (109)
cafe Dogs welcomeROUTE 21
Thomastown, VIC 5.0 (89)
cafe Dogs welcomeSALIS cafe
St Kilda, VIC 5.0 (86)
cafe Uncle Tony
Oakleigh, VIC 4.9 (233)
cafe Dogs welcomeSammich Co
Greensborough, VIC 4.9 (211)
cafe Dogs welcomeBig Elma
Coburg, VIC 4.9 (198)
cafe Dogs welcomeCafe La Wheels
Seaford, VIC 4.9 (192)
cafe Dogs welcomeDALY’S
Brunswick West, VIC 5.0 (72)
Pubs · 47
All 47 pubs in Melbourne
pub Wolf of the Willows
Mordialloc, VIC 4.8 (338)
pub Dogs welcomeBiersal Brewery & Beerhall
Seaford, VIC 4.8 (259)
pub Dogs welcome8 Track Brewery
Ringwood, VIC 4.8 (228)
pub Dogs welcomeCaretaker's Cottage
Melbourne, VIC 4.7 (851)
pub Dogs welcomeBeermash
Collingwood, VIC 4.7 (729)
pub Dogs welcomeThe Fat Goat
Upwey, VIC 4.7 (379)
pub Dogs welcomeThe Graveyard Bar
Coburg North, VIC 4.9 (39)
pub Dogs welcomeJimmy's Tap & Barrel
Ascot Vale, VIC 4.7 (155)
pub Dogs welcomeThe Fat Spatula
Carlton North, VIC 4.7 (130)
pub Dogs welcomeTwo Hands Rooftop Bar & Beer Garden Eatery
Abbotsford, VIC 4.6 (1,332)
pub Dogs welcomeThe Fox Hotel
Collingwood, VIC 4.6 (935)
pub Dogs welcomeMiss Moses Bar
Brunswick, VIC 4.6 (548)
Restaurants · 109
All 109 restaurants in Melbourne
restaurant Dogs welcomeTimes Berwick
Berwick, VIC 4.8 (1,219)
restaurant Dogs welcomeCocomate Cafe
Keysborough, VIC 4.9 (131)
restaurant Dogs welcomeNeapolitan Pizzeria
Chelsea, VIC 5.0 (59)
restaurant Dogs welcomeUncle Barneys Hot Dogs & Donuts
Beaconsfield, VIC 4.9 (102)
restaurant Dogs welcomeMix Takeaway
Coburg North, VIC 4.9 (89)
restaurant Dogs welcomeGreenhart Camberwell
Camberwell, VIC 4.8 (382)
restaurant Dogs welcomeComma Food & Wine
Moorabbin, VIC 4.8 (342)
restaurant Dogs welcomeBo Gurks
Edithvale, VIC 4.8 (305)
restaurant Dogs welcomeSAINT NIC
Oakleigh, VIC 4.8 (167)
restaurant Dogs welcomeTazzina
Greensborough, VIC 4.9 (58)
restaurant Dogs welcomeKalye Marinas Filipino Grill and Seafood
Hampton, VIC 4.7 (809)
restaurant Dogs welcomeSoul Greens
Highett, VIC 4.9 (45)
Wineries · 4
All 4 wineries in MelbourneStays · 77
All 77 stays in Melbourne
stay Dogs welcomeQuest Mont Albert
Mont Albert, VIC 4.8 (1,030)
Quest Burwood East
Burwood East, VIC 4.8 (987)
stay Dogs welcomeQuest Collingwood
Collingwood, VIC 4.8 (153)
stay Dogs welcomeQuest Bundoora
Bundoora, VIC 4.7 (540)
stay Dogs welcomeStayCentral Brunswick Vibe Parkville in Melbourne
Brunswick, VIC 5.0 (22)
stay Dogs welcomePark Hyatt Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC 4.6 (2,574)
stay Dogs welcomeHyatt House South Melbourne
South Melbourne, VIC 4.7 (71)
stay Dogs welcomeLaneways By Ovolo, Melbourne
Melbourne, VIC 4.6 (515)
stay Dogs welcomeQuest Prahran
South Yarra, VIC 4.6 (509)
stay Dogs welcome1 Hotel Melbourne
Docklands, VIC 4.6 (370)
stay Dogs welcomeQuest St Kilda Road
Melbourne, VIC 4.6 (318)
stay Dogs welcomeVictoria House Motor Inn
Croydon, VIC 4.6 (126)
Suburbs & towns in Melbourne · 293
- Brighton· 20
- Seaford· 20
- Berwick· 19
- Doncaster East· 19
- Warrandyte· 19
- Brunswick· 18
- Reservoir· 18
- Elwood· 17
- St Kilda· 17
- Cheltenham· 16
- Frankston· 16
- Templestowe· 16
- Werribee· 16
- Croydon· 15
- Preston· 14
- Ringwood· 14
- Clyde North· 13
- Doncaster· 13
- Eltham· 13
- Mordialloc· 13
- Pakenham· 13
- Sandringham· 13
- Coburg· 12
- Hampton· 12
- Mentone· 12
- Mount Waverley· 12
- Williamstown· 12
- Glen Waverley· 11
- Oakleigh· 11
- Thornbury· 11
- Altona· 10
- Balwyn North· 10
- Donvale· 10
- Pascoe Vale· 10
- Albert Park· 9
- Carrum Downs· 9
- Kew· 9
- Officer· 9
- Richmond· 9
- South Yarra· 9
- Wheelers Hill· 9
- Abbotsford· 8
- Aspendale· 8
- Clifton Hill· 8
- Dandenong· 8
- Fairfield, VIC· 8
- Glen Iris· 8
- Greensborough· 8
- Moonee Ponds· 8
- Mulgrave· 8
- Narre Warren· 8
- Point Cook· 8
- Port Melbourne· 8
- Ringwood North· 8
- Southbank· 8
- Upwey· 8
- Beaumaris· 7
- Blackburn· 7
- Brunswick West· 7
- Bundoora· 7
- Carnegie· 7
- Coburg North· 7
- Essendon· 7
- Fawkner· 7
- Hoppers Crossing· 7
- Malvern East· 7
- Moorabbin· 7
- Mooroolbark· 7
- Pascoe Vale South· 7
- Rowville· 7
- Aintree· 6
- Alphington· 6
- Black Rock· 6
- Bonbeach· 6
- Brunswick East· 6
- Carrum· 6
- Collingwood· 6
- Frankston North· 6
- Hawthorn· 6
- Highett· 6
- Hurstbridge· 6
- Keysborough· 6
- Macleod· 6
- Montmorency· 6
- Northcote· 6
- Parkdale· 6
- Prahran· 6
- Ascot Vale· 5
- Ashburton· 5
- Bayswater North· 5
- Bentleigh East· 5
- Brighton East· 5
- Carlton North· 5
- Caroline Springs· 5
- Caulfield South· 5
- Chelsea· 5
- Croydon South· 5
- Diamond Creek· 5
- Dingley Village· 5
- Elsternwick· 5
- Heidelberg West· 5
- Mitcham· 5
- Newport· 5
- Nunawading· 5
- South Melbourne· 5
- South Morang· 5
- Sunshine West· 5
- Templestowe Lower· 5
- Truganina· 5
- Werribee South· 5
- Wyndham Vale· 5
- Yarraville· 5
- Aberfeldie· 4
- Altona Meadows· 4
- Altona North· 4
- Armadale, VIC· 4
- Beaconsfield· 4
- Belgrave· 4
- Bentleigh· 4
- Box Hill North· 4
- Bulleen· 4
- Burnley· 4
- Burwood East· 4
- Campbellfield· 4
- Caulfield North· 4
- Clyde· 4
- Craigieburn· 4
- Croydon Hills· 4
- Docklands· 4
- Doreen· 4
- East Melbourne· 4
- Fitzroy· 4
- Forest Hill· 4
- Greenvale· 4
- Ivanhoe· 4
- Ivanhoe East· 4
- Jacana· 4
- Keilor· 4
- Keilor East· 4
- Kew East· 4
- Kilsyth· 4
- Kingsbury· 4
- Langwarrin· 4
- Lower Plenty· 4
- Mill Park· 4
- Mont Albert North· 4
- Narre Warren South· 4
- Oak Park· 4
- Ormond· 4
- Park Orchards· 4
- Parkville· 4
- Ringwood East· 4
- Tarneit· 4
- Wantirna· 4
- Westmeadows· 4
- Wonga Park· 4
- Airport West· 3
- Aspendale Gardens· 3
- Balaclava· 3
- Balwyn· 3
- Bayswater, VIC· 3
- Broadmeadows· 3
- Burwood, VIC· 3
- Cairnlea· 3
- Camberwell· 3
- Canterbury, VIC· 3
- Caulfield· 3
- Caulfield East· 3
- Chadstone· 3
- Cranbourne North· 3
- Croydon North· 3
- Edithvale· 3
- Epping· 3
- Ferntree Gully· 3
- Fitzroy North· 3
- Footscray· 3
- Gladstone Park· 3
- Hallam· 3
- Hawthorn East· 3
- Heathmont· 3
- Heidelberg· 3
- Heidelberg Heights· 3
- Hughesdale· 3
- Lyndhurst· 3
- Malvern· 3
- Manor Lakes· 3
- Maribyrnong· 3
- Middle Park· 3
- Mont Albert· 3
- Murrumbeena· 3
- Noble Park· 3
- Oakleigh South· 3
- Seaholme· 3
- South Wharf· 3
- Springvale· 3
- St Kilda East· 3
- Surrey Hills· 3
- Taylors Lakes· 3
- Thomastown· 3
- Viewbank· 3
- Wantirna South· 3
- Watsonia· 3
- West Melbourne· 3
- Ashwood· 2
- Belgrave South· 2
- Blackburn South· 2
- Box Hill· 2
- Braybrook· 2
- Bulla· 2
- Chelsea Heights· 2
- Clayton· 2
- Clayton South· 2
- Cranbourne· 2
- Cranbourne East· 2
- Cranbourne West· 2
- Dallas· 2
- Dandenong South· 2
- Derrimut· 2
- Eltham North· 2
- Fraser Rise· 2
- Glenroy· 2
- Gowanbrae· 2
- Hadfield· 2
- Kangaroo Ground· 2
- Keilor Park· 2
- Kensington, VIC· 2
- Kilsyth South· 2
- Knoxfield· 2
- Lalor· 2
- Laverton· 2
- Lynbrook· 2
- Maidstone· 2
- McKinnon· 2
- Meadow Heights· 2
- Melton South· 2
- Mernda· 2
- Montrose· 2
- Narre Warren North· 2
- Noble Park North· 2
- North Melbourne· 2
- Notting Hill· 2
- Oakleigh East· 2
- Panton Hill· 2
- Research· 2
- Rosanna· 2
- Seddon· 2
- Selby· 2
- Smiths Gully· 2
- St Albans· 2
- St Andrews, VIC· 2
- Strathmore· 2
- Sunshine North· 2
- Travancore· 2
- Tullamarine· 2
- Vermont South· 2
- Warrandyte South· 2
- West Footscray· 2
- Williams Landing· 2
- Wollert· 2
- Arthurs Creek
- Bellfield
- Blackburn North
- Boronia
- Braeside
- Briar Hill
- Brooklyn
- Clarinda
- Coolaroo
- Cranbourne South
- Deanside
- Deer Park
- Delahey
- Diggers Rest
- Essendon North
- Essendon West
- Glen Huntly
- Guys Hill
- Hampton East
- Hillside
- Laverton North
- Lysterfield
- Melton West
- Niddrie
- Plenty
- Sandhurst
- Skye
- Strathmore Heights
- Sunshine
- Upper Ferntree Gully
- Wandin East
- Warranwood
- West Preston
- Windsor, VIC
The fenced dog park capital
Melbourne's dog scene is parks-first.
Fenced run after fenced run from Princes Park to Berwick, creek trails threading the inner suburbs, and cafe strips that compete for dog-friendliest in the state.
A Melbourne day, dog in tow
Park, feed, walk - the Melbourne order.
Long lunch
Fairfield Park Boathouse pairs riverside tables with boat sheds; Oakleigh's Vanilla Lounge does the Greek-street version.
Fairfield Park Boathouse & TBeach finish
Altona's off-leash arena is the west's big sandbox; Ricketts Point adds the bay views at Beaumaris.
Altona Beach Dog Off Leash ASniff-tested picks
The parks + pubs that earn the trip
Fenced runs first; the beer gardens after.
park Dogs welcomeWilson Botanic Park Berwick
Berwick, VIC 4.7 (4,067)
park Dogs welcomeRuffey Lake Park
Dog-friendly off-leash park in Doncaster East, VIC
Doncaster East, VIC 4.7 (2,876)
park Dogs welcomeTim Neville Arboretum
Ferntree Gully, VIC 4.6 (1,733)
pub Dogs welcomeBerwick Springs Hotel
Berwick, VIC 3.7 (3,352)
pub Dogs welcomeThe Cornish Arms Hotel
Brunswick, VIC 4.4 (3,297)
cafe Dogs welcomeThe Hatter and the Hare
Bayswater, VIC 4.4 (3,758)
Dogs in Melbourne, the short version
Does Melbourne have fenced dog parks?
Dozens - it's the strongest fenced-park network in the country. Wilson Botanic, Ruffey Lake and Tim Neville Arboretum anchor the east; most suburbs have a local fenced run.
Are dogs allowed on Melbourne beaches?
Altona's dog off-leash arena is the big one, with Port Melbourne and Ricketts Point zones close to the city. Summer restrictions apply on bay beaches - check signage.
Can the dog join brunch?
Yes - outdoor dining only, but Melbourne's courtyard culture makes that a non-issue in every suburb on this list.
Out and about?
Find off-leash areas near you
The off-leash tool locates dog areas near your current spot.