Brearley Park Reserve Dog Park (Marshall)

Brearley Park Reserve on Grove Road, Marshall is the main off-leash space serving Geelong's southern suburbs, a large linear reserve running along the Waurn Ponds Creek corridor. The headline for dog owners: it is a designated off-leash supervised area, but it is not a fully fenced enclosure.

Off-leash rules

The City of Greater Geelong lists the reserve as an off-leash supervised area, which means your dog can run free provided you keep it under effective voice control at all times. Because the reserve is open grassland with only partial natural boundaries rather than a secured fence, reliable recall is the whole ball game, and you must carry a leash and be able to clip it on immediately.

Standard council rules apply: leash up within 15 metres of playgrounds and during organised sport, keep dogs out of the creek corridor so they are not chasing birds and other wildlife, and pick up after your dog. Restricted breeds and declared menacing dogs cannot be off-leash here.

Max: No fence means no autopilot. If your dog treats the creek as a bird-hunting reserve or has selective hearing, keep the lead on and use the wide grass nearest the road side.

What's there

The space is wide, natural grass with room for a proper run, and log-carved benches give owners a place to sit. Sealed paths connect the reserve to the Waurn Ponds Creek walking trails, which extend the outing on-leash.

There is no confirmed water tap inside the off-leash area, so bring a bottle and a bowl, and expect mud across the grass after winter rain.

Getting there and parking

The reserve sits at 67 to 99 Grove Road, Marshall, with street parking along Grove Road and the adjacent side streets. It is close to Barwon Heads Road for a direct run from Geelong or the Surf Coast, and Marshall Station on the V/Line Geelong line is a short walk away.

Make a day of it

Follow the reserve's sealed paths onto the Waurn Ponds Creek trail for an on-leash extension, or push on to the Barwon River trail for a longer riverside loop.

For coffee afterwards, Afterglow Espresso in Waurn Ponds is the closest dog-friendly stop on our list. Weekday afternoons from 5pm and weekend mornings from 9 to 11 are the busiest windows, while mid-week mid-morning is the quiet pick. More options are in our Victorian dog parks guide or the Marshall destination page.