Howrah Dog Park

Howrah Dog Park sits inside Wentworth Park on Hobart's Eastern Shore, a few steps from Howrah Beach, so a session on the grass can turn into a paddle without moving the car. The combination of open reserve and sandy beach makes it one of the most useful dog outings in Clarence, provided you time it around the summer rules.

The dog setup

Wentworth Park is an open reserve rather than a fenced enclosure, so recall matters here. Keep well clear of the playground equipment, where dogs must stay on lead and keep their distance, and off any sports fields in use. Waste bag dispensers and bins sit at the main carpark off Howrah Road with more bins through the park, and Wentworth Park has public toilets and shaded picnic spots, though shade is thin on the beach itself at midday.

Worth knowing

Howrah Beach runs the standard Clarence summer rule: from 1 December to 1 March, dogs are banned from the sand between 10am and 6pm. Outside that window, and for the rest of the year, dogs can be off-leash on the beach under effective control, which means coming back when called and leaving other beachgoers alone. Little Howrah Beach, left of the boat ramp, and the dune vegetation are off limits at all times. Check the council's dog exercise areas page before you go, as signage and seasonal rules do change.

Max: check the tide before you go. At high tide the beach narrows right down and off-leash dogs have less room to spread out from other walkers.

Getting there and parking

The main carpark is off Howrah Road at the eastern beach end, and it fills quickly on warm weekends, in which case Howrah Road itself is the fallback. Metro buses run along Howrah Road, and a coastal footpath threads through to Bellerive Beach if you want to stretch the walk. The carpark, toilets and bag dispensers are all within a short roll of the sand.

While you're out there

Early morning or evening is the easiest visit, especially in summer when the 10am to 6pm ban applies. If you need a fully fenced run, the South Street Reserve Fenced Dog Park at Bellerive is a few minutes away. Cocomo+Co on Bellerive Quay does dog-friendly outdoor seating, and Brewing Journeys is in Howrah itself. More dog parks in Tasmania or browse Howrah.