Rossiter Park Fenced Dog Park

Rossiter Park Fenced Dog Park sits on the Ross River banks in Aitkenvale at 3-43 Kimball Street, and it has become the default fenced run for Townsville's inner suburbs. The enclosure is open around the clock, backed by mature shade trees, and the river setting gives dogs something most fenced parks cannot: a pontoon and shallow access for a proper swim.

The dog setup

The fully fenced enclosure carries agility equipment, shade sails, seating and a water source, with enough grassed space for a genuine run rather than a lap of the bins. Down at the water a floating pontoon lets confident swimmers get in for a cool-off, which matters through the long Townsville build-up.

The wider Rossiter Park wraps around the fence line with picnic tables, BBQs, accessible public toilets, a playground and a half-basketball court, so the household can split its time between dogs and everything else.

Worth knowing

Off-lead applies only inside the fence. Under Townsville City Council rules, dogs stay leashed in the car park, on the river paths and across the surrounding parkland, and owners need to stay inside the enclosure with their dog. Waste goes in the bins, and any dog showing aggression should be leashed and taken out rather than waited on.

The river edge is open water, not a pool. Keep an eye on young or weak swimmers near the pontoon and the bank.

Getting there

Enter from Kimball Street in Aitkenvale; the on-site car park includes an accessible bay. Weekend afternoons are the busiest stretch, so a morning visit usually means an easier park and cooler dogs.

Make a day of it

The paved Ross River Parkway trails run right past the park for an on-lead warm-up. A second off-lead option sits a few minutes away at the Townsville Main Dog Park, also in Aitkenvale, and after the walk the dog-friendly The Gypsea Collective in Mundingburra is an easy coffee stop on the way home.

More fenced runs are catalogued in the Queensland dog friendly parks guide, and everything else in the suburb is on the Aitkenvale destination page.