Alstonville Dog Park

Alstonville's off-leash dog park sits at 486 Gap Road, a couple of minutes' drive from the town centre on the Northern Rivers plateau. It is a fully fenced, open grassed run in a rural setting, which makes it a safe, quiet spot to let a dog stretch out, and Ballina Shire Council lists it among its off-leash exercise areas.

The dog setup

Dogs run off-leash but must stay under effective voice control, and any dog showing aggression goes back on the lead and leaves. Use the double-gate system properly on the way in and out to stop escapes, keep dogs out of any fenced children's play areas, and clean up every time.

The area is usually quiet to moderately busy, with the busier stretches on weekday afternoons and Friday evenings. For a nervous or in-training dog, aim for a quiet weekday afternoon or later on a Saturday, and treat the rural fence line as a check-before-you-unclip routine rather than an assumption.

There is basic agility equipment for training and enrichment, and shaded benches for owners. Water bowls are sometimes present but not guaranteed, so bring a portable bottle and bowl, especially in the Northern Rivers heat.

Max: water is not guaranteed here and it gets hot on the plateau, so pack your own bottle and bowl, and do a lap of the fence line before you unclip, checking the gates latch behind you.

Getting there and parking

It is best reached by car, with a dedicated gravel car park directly off Gap Road and accessible parking on site. There is no practical public transport to this rural spot.

Close by with the dogs

Buckley's Chance in the old post office has a sunny deck for dogs, and Benchtop Espresso on Main Street covers the quick coffee run. For an overnight stay, Alstonville Showgrounds takes dogs on site.

More options are on the NSW dog friendly parks guide and the Alstonville destination page.