Bailey Reserve Dog Off Leash Area

Bailey Reserve's off-leash area sits on the eastern and northern sports grounds at 200 East Boundary Road, Bentleigh East, right beside the Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre. It is a big, open, mostly grassed space, and the two designated grounds give energetic dogs room to run without sharing turf with the reserve's other users.

The dog setup

Off-leash is permitted only on the eastern and northern sports grounds; the western oval, the southern part of the reserve and all pathways are on lead, and dogs must be back on the lead within 20 metres of the BBQs, picnic areas, playground and skate park, or during organised sport and public events. The reserve is not fully fenced on every side, so keep an eye on dogs near the road and work on reliable recall before you unclip.

A dog water fountain, bins with dog bags and bench seating ring the ovals, and some areas are lit for evening visits though not the whole reserve.

Worth knowing

Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the quiet window, while weekday evenings from about 4:30pm to 6:30pm and weekend mornings draw the biggest crowds. The ovals can be booked out for weekend league sport, in which case the northern ground is the better bet for off-leash time.

Max: if your dog is not rock solid on recall, use the side of the northern ground away from the open edges near the road. The lack of full fencing is the one thing to respect here.

Getting there and parking

Parking is available off Gardeners Road and East Boundary Road itself. Bentleigh Station is the nearest train stop but it is a 25 to 30 minute walk, so this is realistically a car or bus trip; the 767 and 822 buses both stop on East Boundary Road.

Pair it with

Centenary Park offers another Glen Eira off-leash option a short drive away, and Junto Cafe in Bentleigh East is a handy coffee stop with the dog. For a change of scene, Halley Park in Bentleigh has a shaded off-leash area near the station.

More options are on the Victoria dog parks guide and the Bentleigh East destination page.