Sweetacres Park

Sweetacres Park is a City of Sydney neighbourhood park at the corner of Mentmore Avenue and Cressy Street, and one of Rosebery's handier off-leash spots. In a suburb of apartment blocks it does a lot of work: open lawn for a run, mature trees for shade, and a playground for the families who share it.

The dog setup

Dogs are permitted off-leash in the designated areas at all times, but two zones are off limits outright: the children's playground and the barbecue area. Keep your dog leashed through those buffers and under effective control everywhere else. The off-leash area is not fully fenced, and streets sit close to the boundary, so this is a recall park rather than a switch-off one.

Max: No fence and traffic on the edges means this is a recall test, not a holiday. If your dog still ignores you mid-zoomie, keep the long lead on until the park empties out.

What's there

Benches for owners, good tree cover plus newer shade sails over the playground, a sandpit and barbecue facilities, and dog waste bags and bins on site. The paths are wheelchair accessible, and the park reads cosy rather than sprawling, which suits a quick daily run more than a half-day expedition.

Getting there and parking

Street parking runs along Mentmore Avenue and the surrounding streets, though it tightens at peak times around the commercial strip. Buses along Botany Road and Gardeners Road stop within walking distance, and for most locals the park is simply an easy walk from the apartment blocks.

Close by with the dogs

Mentmore Avenue has a run of dog-friendly cafes with outdoor tables, including Haven Coffee, Mentmore and Morley and Two Fives Cafe, all close enough to tack onto a morning lap.

If Sweetacres is crowded, Tarakan Reserve is a quieter Rosebery option and Joynton Park at Zetland is a few minutes further. The New South Wales dog friendly parks guide and the Rosebery destination page list the rest of the inner south.