Ross Patent Slip off-leash area

Ross Patent Slip is a grassed open space off Napoleon Street in Battery Point, and the City of Hobart lists it among the suburb's off-lead dog exercise areas. The designation carries into the council's dog management policy for 2026 to 2031, so this is a durable, formally mapped dog space rather than an informal patch of lawn. For a suburb as dense and historic as Battery Point, a dedicated grassed off-lead area within walking distance of the terraces is the reason local dog owners know the name.

The dog setup

Off-lead here means the dog can run and socialise under your control, with the standard Hobart expectations alongside: carry a leash, pick up waste and keep the dog responsive. The space is a grassed area rather than a fenced enclosure, so it suits dogs with a working recall; if yours is still learning, treat it as training ground and keep sessions short. Check the on-site signage for any seasonal or event variations, as Hobart adjusts some spaces around festivals and regattas in the precinct below.

Getting there and parking

Napoleon Street sits in the heart of Battery Point's cottage grid, a few minutes' walk uphill from Salamanca Place. Street parking in the area is tight and mostly residential, so if you are driving, come early or plan to park nearer the waterfront and walk up. The suburb's laneways and colonial streetscapes make the walk in half the outing, and Arthur Circle and the battery points themselves are close by for an on-leash leg stretch afterwards.

Coffee options are close: Ozus Coffee and CC and Co Cafe both sit within the suburb's small café cluster, and the Devils Kitchen Cafe works for a bigger breakfast down the hill. The TAS dog parks list maps other off-lead spaces around the state, and the Battery Point guide covers the suburb's dog-friendly venues.

Worth knowing

This is a locals' space in a residential pocket, so quiet use is the norm: keep greetings short, mind the neighbouring cottages, and skip peak times if your dog is a big voice. Weekday mornings are the calmest window, and the grass holds up well after rain compared with the dirt tracks further along the waterfront. Pair it with an on-leash wander along Hampden Road and you get Hobart's most atmospheric suburb in a single dog walk.