Banjo Paterson Park Fenced Dog Park

Banjo Paterson Park Fenced Dog Park sits inside the broader Banjo Paterson Park at 2 Lawrie Drive, Collingwood Park, in Ipswich City Council's patch south-west of Brisbane. It is a fully fenced off-leash facility with separate sections for large and small dogs, set on grass under established trees, and it shares the reserve with a playground, picnic spots and public toilets, so it doubles as a family outing stop.

The dog setup

Entry runs through a double gate, and the two size-segregated enclosures keep play groups sensible. The large dog section carries agility equipment to work through. Water taps are on site for refills, dog waste bag dispensers and bins are provided, and covered seating gives handlers somewhere shaded to sit. Inside the fence your dog is off-leash under your supervision; everywhere else in the reserve, including the playground and sports areas, dogs stay on-lead.

Council off-leash rules apply: stay in the enclosure with your dog, keep them under effective control, close both gates behind you, and leash and remove any dog getting pushy. Do a quick perimeter walk before unclipping, especially in the small dog section, since fence lines and gate gaps are worth eyeballing with an escape artist in tow.

The vibe

This reads as a well-used suburb park with a loyal local crowd. Weekend mornings draw the biggest turnout and the most energy; weekday afternoons and early evenings are calmer if your dog prefers room to move. The tree cover makes summer sessions tolerable, which is more than many western Ipswich parks can say.

Getting there and parking

Parking sits within Banjo Paterson Park off Lawrie Drive. The suburb backs onto the Centenary Motorway corridor, so it is a straightforward run from greater Springfield or the Ipswich side. Everything is on one flat level, which suits senior dogs and prams alike.

Make a day of it

More fenced runs sit within a few minutes' drive: Redbank Plains Recreation Reserve to the south, Goodna Park Fenced Dog Park to the east, and Paws Park in Bellbird Park. If the humans need feeding afterwards, Cafe 63 Goodna is a short drive and a reliable breakfast stop.

Pepsi: two circuits of the agility frame, one diplomatic sniff of every small dog through the dividing fence, then a shaded flop under the biggest tree.

Broader options are listed on the Queensland dog parks list, and you can read more about Collingwood Park before you head out.