Tim Neville Arboretum

The Tim Neville Arboretum on Dorset Road is Ferntree Gully's big ornamental park: a lake with a resident duck population, wetlands, boardwalks and a loop of walking paths laid out across a genuinely hilly 20 odd year old garden reserve. Knox City Council, which manages it, lists the arboretum among its bushland reserves where dogs must be on a lead at all times, so this is an on-lead walking venue rather than an off leash run.

Because the rule comes from the council itself, treat it as fixed rather than negotiable: lead on, everywhere, including the lawn areas around the lake. In exchange you get a flat, well made circuit that suits older dogs and steady sniffers, plus the wetland wildlife your dog will be straining to watch. Keep leads short near the duck lake, and give the boardwalk sections a wide berth if your dog pulls, since the wetland edges are where the bird life concentrates.

The walk

The arboretum's appeal is that it packs several short walks into one stop. The lake loop is the classic, duck watching the whole way, and connecting paths run past the fenced kids playground, the flying fox and the picnic and BBQ shelters, so families can split up and regroup easily. It is open around the clock and popular with early walkers, and the tree collections give good shade through summer. Surfaces are mostly sealed or firm gravel, which keeps it usable after rain when dirt trails around the Dandenongs turn to mud. Parking sits inside the Dorset Road entrance, and weekends bring a steady mix of families and dog walkers, so mid morning on weekdays is the quiet window. If your dog needs an off leash session, plan it before or after your arboretum lap rather than expecting one here.

Make a day of it

For the off leash half of the day, the Knox Park Fenced Dog Park is a short drive north. Refuel afterwards at the dog friendly Ferntree Gully Hotel or FT Local Kitchen and Bar. The Ferntree Gully dog friendly guide collects the suburb, and dog friendly parks across VIC are listed statewide.