LM Graham Reserve Fenced Dog Park

LM Graham Reserve is the go-to off-leash spot for Fairlight locals, sitting on Odawara Close right behind the Manly Andrew Boy Charlton Aquatic Centre. This is a sports reserve that doubles as a 24-hour dog area rather than a small dedicated run: the central cricket and football pitch is fenced off for turf, and dogs run off-leash on the surrounding grass and sidelines. That layout gives you space and a friendly neighbourhood crowd, but it also means the ground rules matter more than at a fully enclosed park.

The dog setup

Off-leash is permitted 24 hours a day, except during organised weekend sport. The fenced playing surface is strictly off limits while games are on, and on busy competition days temporary fencing can go up around the Kenneth Road canteen area, which trims the usable space and changes access. Amenities are solid: water stations, bins, picnic tables and bench seating around the edges, public restrooms nearby, and accessible entry. Note the reserve perimeter is not a sealed escape-proof run, so a reliable recall is the price of entry here, particularly near the roads on the boundary.

Max: this is a recall park, not a clip-the-lead-off-and-relax park. If your dog's recall is negotiable, work the sidelines well away from Kenneth Road until it isn't.

Getting there and parking

Drive in via Kenneth Road and turn onto Odawara Close; there is free parking in the reserve car park. Bus stops along Kenneth Road connect from Manly and surrounding suburbs, and on foot you can arrive from the local Fairlight streets or via the bush track off the back gate that runs down to Fairlight Beach for a saltwater finish.

While you're out there

The Manly Off-leash Dog Beach is minutes away for a proper swim, and the Manly Lagoon Dog Park at Queenscliff adds lagoon paddling. For a fully fenced alternative, Hinkler Dog Park at North Manly is a short drive. For coffee, Ripples Little Manly is the local listing of note.

More options are on the New South Wales dog parks guide and the Fairlight destination page.