Old Olinda Golf Course Dog Off Leash Area

The former Olinda Golf Course has been reborn as the Olinda Precinct, 34 hectares of community parkland in the Dandenong Ranges where the old fairways double as a huge dog off-lead area. Parks Victoria manages the site, and the rolling grass slopes with their long views over the ranges have made it one of the most popular dog walks on the mountain since the course closed. It is open around the clock, and a coffee van is often parked near the main area on busy mornings.

The dog setup

The designated off-lead zone covers the former fairway country, and the map on the Parks Victoria page shows exactly where it sits; dogs stay on lead everywhere else in the precinct, including all paths through the surrounding plantings. The rules are standard but enforced: keep your dog within sight and under voice or hand control, carry a lead at all times, and keep dogs out of the Olinda Playspace entirely. Walkers with more than two dogs are asked to bring a second person. Terrain is mown grass over gentle to moderate slopes, with a loop trail circling the precinct if you want a longer on-lead leg.

Pepsi: get there early and the fog sitting in the valleys below is worth the trip on its own. The grass is that thick, springy golf-course turf dogs love to gallop on.

Getting there and worth knowing

The precinct is at 75-77 Olinda-Monbulk Road, about 700 metres from the Olinda township shops and 50 minutes from central Melbourne. Parking is informal and limited on site, with overflow at the Olinda Recreation Reserve next door and near the Olinda Swimming Pool. Picnic facilities, BBQs, shelters, a water fountain and a new toilet block serve the precinct. Mountain weather runs several degrees cooler than the suburbs, so pack a layer, and keep dogs clear of the picnic lawns when the midday crowds set up.

Pair it with a walk on the RJ Hamer Arboretum Loop just down the road, or an on-lead stretch at Kalorama Reserve. The Big Heart Cafe in the Olinda village is an easy coffee stop. More options are in the Victoria dog parks guide.