Hull Road Drainage Reserve Dog Off Leash Area

Hull Road Drainage Reserve is an open, gently sloping off-leash reserve on Hull Road in Mooroolbark, dotted with trees and popular with locals whose dogs like a run on uneven ground. It is unfenced throughout, so recall decides whether your dog runs here or watches from the lead.

Check before you go

Yarra Ranges Council has listed the reserve as closed while it serves as a railway construction site, and closures around the level crossing works have come and gone. If you are making a special trip, check the council's dog exercise pages first, or have a backup park in mind. When open, the rules are straightforward: off-leash is permitted inside the reserve under effective voice control, you must carry a lead at all times, and dogs with patchy recall should stay on it, particularly near the Hull Road boundary.

The dog setup

The reserve is a large, open grass slope with scattered trees for shade and a gravel path running through the drainage corridor. There are no fences, no water taps and no reliable bins, so bring your own water and waste bags. Its openness cuts both ways: plenty of room to run, but shared paths and road frontage mean you need to keep your dog in sight the whole time.

Pepsi: this is a recall test, not a dog park. The road is close and there is nothing between the grass and Hull Road, so if your dog chases, keep the lead on.

Getting there and parking

The reserve sits near the corner of Hull Road and Cardigan Road, easy to spot from the main road. Street parking is available around the Edinburgh Road and Hull Road corner, a short walk from the grass. The path network also connects through towards the Hull Road wetlands and the walking trails that run towards Lilydale Lake.

While you're out there

If the reserve is fenced off for works, the Retarding Basin dog off-leash area in Mooroolbark is the natural alternative, and the Eastfield fenced dog park in Croydon adds a secure option a few minutes east. Manna Lane Cafe in Mooroolbark is a solid coffee stop on the way home.

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