Jock Kennedy Recreation Reserve

Jock Kennedy Recreation Reserve is the waterfront park on Jackson Road at Russell Island, where the boat ramp meets a flat grassy foreshore looking over North Stradbroke across the channel. It is the island's main picnic spot, with shaded tables, electric barbecues, public toilets and room for a good walk, and dogs are welcome here on a lead.

The dog setup

This reserve itself is not one of Redland City Council's designated off-leash areas, so keep your dog leashed while you are here and under effective control the whole time. What makes it useful for dog owners is what sits nearby: the island's fenced off-leash park is a couple of minutes away at the corner of High Street and Jackson Road, and Lions Boulevarde Park over on The Boulevarde runs a seasonal off-leash beach with shared hours tied to migratory shorebird season.

If you want off-lead time, plan it as a two-stop visit: a leashed wander along the waterfront here, then a run at the fenced park. Carry your own poo bags and water, as the reserve has no dedicated dog water station.

Worth knowing

The reserve is a working boat ramp precinct as well as a park, so trailers and reversing vehicles are part of the scene on weekends. The grass is flat and open with scattered shade trees, and the views across the channel to the Straddie hills are the best of any park on the island. Migratory shorebirds use the bay's beaches through the warmer months, which is exactly why the off-leash beach hours change seasonally.

Getting there and parking

Russell Island is reached by the TransLink passenger ferry from Redland Bay Marina, which takes walk-on passengers but not cars. The ride is short and the ferry is dog-friendly, but the sensible plan with a dog in tow is to come over as a foot passenger with everything you need in a backpack, or arrange an island taxi from the terminal. The reserve sits at the end of Jackson Road with parking on the grass verge beside the ramp for anyone with a car on the island.

Close by with the dogs

The island's fenced enclosure, listed as the Russell Island Dog Park, is the natural pairing for this visit, and Cafe Memory Lane on High Street does dog-friendly outdoor tables for coffee after the walk. If you are making a weekend of it, the Lions Boulevard Camp Ground sits by the shared-hours beach.

More options are on the Queensland dog-friendly parks guide and the Russell Island destination page.