Rex Hawkes Park Fenced Dog Park

Rex Hawkes Park on Russell Drive in Redbank Plains is the most complete dog-park package in the suburb: a fully fenced off-leash facility with separate sections for big and small dogs, an agility course in the large-dog area, and enough around it, playground, barbecues, basketball half-court, volleyball space, to keep the rest of the family busy while the dog works.

The dog setup

Off-leash is strictly inside the fenced sections; the rest of the park is on-lead under Ipswich City Council's dog-owner obligations. Each zone has its own entry gate, so keep a firm hold on the lead going through and check it closes behind you. Inside, there are water taps, covered seating, established shade and bins; the agility course sits in the large-dog section, so small dogs miss out on that but get their own space.

Keep dogs under effective voice control and stay close when it is busy, which is most late afternoons and weekends. An adult should be supervising at all times, and waste goes in the bins straight away.

Worth knowing

The park is open 24 hours and lit usage is common in the evenings, with the after-work crowd arriving from about 5pm. The main entrance is wheelchair accessible, and the paths around the reserve are wide and paved. The split zoning makes this the safer Redbank Plains choice for small dogs, timid dogs and puppies on their first park outings.

Getting there and parking

The park sits on Russell Drive with access off Llewellen Drive, about 35 minutes south-west of Brisbane by road. There is a dedicated car park, which fills on weekend mornings; skip the grass verge after rain unless you enjoy bogging the car. Buses run along Cedar Road a short walk away.

Close by with the dogs

Rotate the suburb's other fenced options, the Redbank Plains Recreation Reserve Fenced Dog Park and Sheila Ireland Reserve, both listed in the directory. Further afield, Paws Park at Bellbird Park is another Ipswich-corridor option, and Cafe 63 Goodna does a leashed coffee stop on the way home.

More options are on the Queensland dog-friendly parks guide and the Redbank Plains destination page.

Pepsi: small-dog side first, always. Once mine has sniffed the whole fence line and decided nobody is a threat, then we can talk about the big side.