Anderson Park off leash dog area

Anderson Park runs along Anderson Road in Hawthorn East with two full sized sports ovals, a hillside playground and one of the better skyline views you will find in a suburban reserve. For dog owners the draw is simple: when the ovals are free of sport, one of them opens up as the off leash area, giving you a big, flat expanse of grass to run a dog tired before work or dinner.

The dog setup

Off leash access applies to the designated oval only, and the swap between ovals follows the sports calendar, so it pays to look before you let go of the lead. During an organised match or training session dogs are off the oval entirely, and everywhere else in the park they stay on lead. The reserve is not fenced, with open edges to the surrounding streets and stone retaining walls below the eastern bank, so it suits dogs with reliable recall.

Under City of Boroondara local laws you need to carry a lead at all times, keep your dog under effective voice control, stay at least 10 metres clear of the playground and step well back from barbecues and picnic gatherings in use. Boroondara also expects owners to carry their own waste bags rather than count on the park to supply them.

Worth knowing

The park gives you more than the oval. There is a roughly one kilometre walking circuit around the perimeter that works well as a warm up or cool down on lead, shaded barbecue shelters and picnic tables, and public toilets near the playground and tennis courts. Drinking taps cover thirsty dogs, and the South Hawthorn Tennis Club sits inside the reserve so evenings can be busy with more than just dogs and their people.

Pepsi: The skyline view from the upper level makes this one worth a slow lap even on days when the oval is closed for sport.

Getting there and parking

Free street parking is generally easy along Widford Street and Constance Street, though it tightens up around school pickup and drop off when the playground is at its busiest. Weekday evenings, particularly Wednesday and Thursday, bring the biggest after work crowd of dogs and owners, while Sunday evenings are usually the quietest window.

Close by with the dogs

If the oval is booked out for sport, Fritsch Holzer Park up the road is a good fallback with its own off leash space, and Rathmines Reserve covers you in the other direction. For a fenced session, the Camberwell fenced dog park is a short drive south. When you are done, Willo Cafe in Kew does a solid coffee stop with the dog, or head for the river paths at Yarra Bend Park if you want to add a proper walk.

More off leash options are listed across Victoria, and you can see what else is in the neighbourhood on the Hawthorn East guide.