Boisdale Street Reserve Dog Off Leash Area

Boisdale Street Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is a quiet neighbourhood pocket park at 28 Boisdale Street, Surrey Hills, with wide grassed space and mature trees. Under Whitehorse City Council's rules the reserve functions as a designated off-lead area, which makes it a handy local option for fetch and casual socialising without the crowds of a bigger regional park.

The dog setup

Dogs can be exercised off-lead across the reserve provided they stay under effective voice control at all times, and you need to carry a lead and pick up waste. Dogs must keep at least 2.5 metres from the perimeter of any children's playspace or picnic and barbecue area, and they cannot enter play areas at all.

The important catch: the reserve is not fully fenced and it sits near the busy Riversdale Road. If your dog is prone to darting or does not have reliable recall, this is not the place to test that, so keep the lead on until you are confident in the space.

What's there

A tap and bowl for water, bins around the perimeter, park benches and good shade from the established trees. It is a simple open reserve rather than a built dog park, so bring toys if fetch is the plan.

Getting there and parking

Residential street parking sits right by the park on Boisdale Street, and it is a short walk from either Surrey Hills or Chatham stations on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines, with local buses also servicing the area. Weekday mornings before 9am and evenings after 4.30pm are the busiest windows, with midday the quietest.

Close by with the dogs

If the open reserve is too risky for your dog, the fully fenced Camberwell fenced dog park is a short drive away, or the Cooper Reserve off-lead area offers another nearby option. Finish with a coffee at Gesha or Steam Coffee Co in the Surrey Hills village.

More options are on the Victoria dog parks guide and the Surrey Hills destination page.