Casula Parklands

Casula Parklands stretches along Powerhouse Road beside the Georges River in Sydney's southwest, and it has quietly become one of the better equipped dog parks in the Liverpool area. Liverpool City Council lists two separate fully enclosed off-leash dog areas within the parklands, one reserved for big dogs and one for small dogs, with fencing that extends down to the ground. For owners of escape artists and nervous small dogs alike, that dual enclosure design is the whole point.

The dog areas are only one part of a large site. The wider parklands pack in a flying fox, a ninja course, climbing equipment, an outdoor gym, a toddler zone and free barbecue facilities, so the typical visit runs as a play session for the kids and an off-lead run for the dog in the same trip. Walking tracks thread through the riverfront section of the park, giving you an on-lead option when you want to stretch beyond the fenced zones. The riverfront setting adds something the enclosures do not: grassy margins and a slower pace for a warm-down lap before you load the dog back into the car.

While you're out there

Use the gates properly: the small dog enclosure is there for a reason, and mixing sizes is the most common source of trouble at any dual-zone park. The grounds are exposed, so shade is limited in summer and the surfaces heat up by midday. Weekday mornings are the quietest window in the off-lead areas, with the playground traffic building after school. Council's listing shows weekday hours of 8:30am to 5pm with weekends marked closed, which reads oddly for a public parkland, so it is worth checking the council website before planning a weekend visit. Bins sit at the dog area entrances; bring bags and dog water anyway.

Make a day of it

For coffee before or after, Oliver Brown in Casula covers the caffeination end of the day close by, and the drive in off the M5 is short, with the Powerhouse Road car park filling early on clear weekends. More options are on the NSW dog friendly parks list and the Casula destination guide.