River Torrens Linear Park Fenced Dog Park

The River Torrens Linear Park Fenced Dog Park at 118a Hayward Avenue is West Torrens' purpose-built off-leash facility, a pair of fully fenced enclosures sitting right on the 32km Linear Park trail corridor between Hardys Road and Jervois Street. It is the city's answer to the obvious gap in the strip: plenty of riverside walking, and now somewhere a dog can actually run flat out without a lead.

The dog setup

There are two separate enclosures, one reserved for small dogs and one for everyone else, both fully fenced with double gates and both fitted with agility equipment. Water points are on site and bins and bags are provided at the entry. The ground is lawn along the river corridor, which softens quickly after rain, so a towel in the car is worth packing in winter.

Once you step back out onto the Linear Park shared path, the rules flip: dogs go back on a short lead for the walk home. The trail carries a steady mix of bikes and foot traffic, so keep your dog close on the corridor itself.

The vibe

This is a neighbourhood park rather than a destination: locals arrive on foot or by bike along the trail, weekday mornings are calm, and weekends fill with the regular crowd. It suits social dogs that like company, and the small dog enclosure gives timid ones a separate space.

Max: the riverbank runs beside the trail, not beside the fenced park. Don't count on a swim here, and keep the lead on if you walk the river edge.

Getting there and parking

There is no car park at the gate. The practical option is to park at Brickworks Marketplace and walk the 800 metres north along the trail, or come in on the Linear Park path from Hardys Road or Jervois Street. Bus stops on Henley Beach Road are 500 to 600 metres away.

Close by with the dogs

The trail itself is the bonus: the Torrens Linear Track Loop passes nearby for a longer on-lead walk to bookend the off-leash session. For a coffee after, Mister Sunshine's in Thebarton and Charlie's Coffee Bar in Hilton both welcome dogs, and Torrensville Dog Park is the council's other fenced option in the suburb.

More fenced options are on the South Australia dog parks guide and the Torrensville destination page.