Kings Park

Kings Park on Willow Road is Upper Ferntree Gully's local sport ground, and since November 2025 it has also carried one of the best appointed dog parks in the Knox area: a fully fenced off-lead dog park with a main large dog area and a separate smaller enclosure for small and shy dogs. Knox City Council's dog play park page describes the setup directly, so the designation is authority sourced rather than visitor hearsay.

The council rules that come with it are worth reading before your first visit. Dogs must be on lead while entering and exiting through the double gates, and owners need to be present and in control at all times inside. The split enclosures solve the classic problem of small dogs getting run over by exuberant large breeds, so pick the yard that matches your dog rather than defaulting to the big one, and watch introductions at the gate line when several dogs arrive at once. The design follows the modern Knox dog play park template, and because the build only finished in late 2025, expect the surface and furniture inside the enclosures to still be settling in.

The setup

Beyond the fenced yards, the wider park gives the visit some range: ovals and a cricket ground for on-lead laps, a sand pit, picnic tables and shady trees, and public toilets for the humans. The ground is flat and open, which suits ball games and short sprint sessions, and the tree cover takes the edge off summer afternoons. The park is open around the clock, though the dog park area is lit by the surrounding suburb rather than floodlights, so early mornings and evenings are head torch territory in winter, and you should bring your own water and bags, since the enclosure keeps the standard bring-your-own setup.

Close by with the dogs

For a second off leash option, the Knox Park Fenced Dog Park is a short drive east, and the Tim Neville Arboretum covers the on-lead walking side with its duck lake loop. Macchiato Lounge in Boronia works for a post walk feed, and dog friendly parks across VIC are listed statewide.