Lions Park Fenced Dog Park(Riverside)

Lions Park Fenced Dog Park sits on the West Tamar Highway in Riverside, a fully fenced off-leash enclosure built into a wider community park with a playground, picnic spots and barbecues. For Riverside dog owners it is the reliable choice: secure double gates, mowed grass and a mix of sun and shade, without the drive into Launceston.

The dog setup

Off-leash applies only inside the fenced enclosure, roughly eight-foot fencing with a double-gate entry system so dogs cannot slip out while you arrive or leave. The surrounding park, playground and picnic areas are on-lead territory, and West Tamar Council's dog exercise area rules apply elsewhere along the river, including bans from sensitive boardwalk sections nearby. Inside the run, keep voice control, pick up after your dog, and use the bag dispensers and bins generally provided at the gate.

The enclosure has benches and shaded trees for owners, and the wider park adds public toilets, electric barbecues and picnic tables, which makes it an easy family compromise: kids on the playground, dog in the run, everyone visible.

Pepsi: a fenced yard beside a playground is the rare park where nobody in the family has to compromise.

Getting there and parking

The park fronts the West Tamar Highway on Riverside's southern edge, with parking on site and the suburb's streets within walking distance. It is an easy pull-over on the way to or from Launceston, roughly ten minutes from the city side of the river.

Worth knowing

Water provision at the enclosure has been inconsistent, so carry a bottle and bowl rather than assuming the tap works. Highway proximity means some traffic noise, which settles once dogs are playing. Mornings and late afternoons draw the regulars; midday is often empty.

Close by with the dogs

Riverside's second fenced option is Windsor Park, in the community precinct by the sports ground. Further up the West Tamar road, Beaconsfield's fenced dog park makes a good stop on a Tamar Valley day trip.

The wider network is on the Tasmania dog parks page, and the Riverside destination guide covers the suburb.