Foley Reserve Dog Off Leash Area

Foley Reserve is a compact dog off-leash area in Kew, in the Foley Street and Adeney Avenue pocket near the Kew Recreation Centre, managed by the City of Boroondara. It is a neighbourhood-scale rectangle of grass dotted with mature trees rather than a sprawling park, which makes it a good fit for a quick run or a less overwhelming outing for a young or nervous dog.

The dog setup

Dogs may be off-leash within the designated area under effective voice control, and you must carry a lead at all times. The reserve itself is not fully enclosed, so reliable recall matters, and the on-site signage marks the exact boundary before you unclip. Standard Boroondara conditions apply: dogs are prohibited inside the fenced playground perimeter and must be leashed within 10 metres of it, they go back on lead within 30 metres of active picnics, BBQs or organised sport, and declared dangerous or restricted dogs must stay leashed and muzzled.

Max: check the boundary signage before the lead comes off. The reserve has open access points onto quiet residential streets, and a dog with average recall can cover that ground fast.

The vibe

Expect bins and bench seating, mature shade through summer, and modest facilities in keeping with the size: no water station, so bring your own on warm days. Weekday mid-morning and early afternoon are the quietest windows, while pre-work mornings, school pickup and weekend mornings are busiest, which matters if your dog is on the nervous side.

Getting there and parking

The reserve sits in the Foley Street and Adeney Avenue block of Kew, with surrounding residential street parking that can fill at peak times, so side streets are the usual fallback. The 109 tram along High Street and Cotham Road puts you within walking distance if you would rather not drive.

Close by with the dogs

Kew's cafe strip is an easy add-on: Willo Cafe and Barry's Garage are both local options for after a run. For a bigger off-leash session, the Victoria Park dog off-leash area is the next suburb over in Kew, and the Hays Paddock dog off-leash area in Kew East adds more open ground.

More options are on the Victoria dog parks guide and the Kew destination page.