Town Park Dog Off Leash Area

Town Park is a large open off-leash space right in central Croydon, set around a big grassy oval ringed by a 440 metre athletics track, with a creekline running behind the Arndale shopping centre and the Civic Centre. It is the handiest reserve in the suburb for combining a town errand with an off-leash run, though it is completely unfenced.

The dog setup

The central oval is off-leash with dogs under effective voice control. Maroondah City Council requires leads within 15 metres of the playgrounds and barbecue and picnic facilities, during organised sport, and at all times on the athletics track surface and the shared paths, including the Tarralla Creek Trail. Greyhounds must stay leashed even in off-leash areas under the Domestic Animals Act, and waste should be picked up immediately. The Fred Geale pavilion, Keystone Hall, public toilets and playgrounds sit on site.

Max: the track and the creek trail are on-lead, so save the unclipping for the oval. Recall needs to be sharp here because there is no fence between the grass and a busy precinct.

Getting there and parking

The reserve is around 16 to 30 Hueske Street, Croydon, with on-site parking and easy access through the Arndale shopping centre car park. Croydon Station on the Lilydale line is a short walk away, which makes it one of the few off-leash reserves in the outer east you can realistically reach by train. The Tarralla Creek Trail connection gives you a longer leashed cool-down route when the oval is busy.

Worth knowing

Early mornings and late afternoons on weekends are the busiest slots, and the oval is used for formal training and school sport during the week; leash up near the action when it is on. A weekday mid-morning is the calmer window, and the setting really suits dogs with reliable recall that can handle an open, unfenced space near roads and foot traffic. For a coffee afterwards, Blackwork on Hewish Road and The Jolly Miller are both an easy walk from the park. Other Croydon runs are listed on the VIC dog parks guide and the Croydon destination page.