Bay Trail: Brighton to Half Moon Bay

The Bay Trail runs 12.9 km along Port Phillip Bay from Brighton south to Half Moon Bay near Black Rock, a flat, fully paved coastal path that takes most walkers two and a half to three hours end to end. It passes the Brighton bathing boxes, the sandstone cliffs of Red Bluff and the wreck of the HMVS Cerberus offshore, and it is a serious on-lead walk with off-lead beach detours along the way.

Leash status

Bayside is an on-leash municipality: dogs stay on lead on the trail itself at all times, year-round, no exceptions. The beaches beside the path work differently. From 1 November to 31 March dogs are banned from the beaches between 10am and 7:30pm, allowed off-leash from sunrise to 10am, and on-lead from 7:30pm to sunrise.

From 1 April to 31 October, off-leash access on the sand is permitted at all times but only within designated off-leash areas. The reliable 24/7 off-leash stretches near this trail are Sandown Street Beach and the Brighton Beach section between Sandown and Bay Streets.

Max: do not assume a quiet-looking beach means off-lead is fine. The trail is on-lead the whole way, and the beach rules change at the sand, the season and the clock all at once.

The walk

The surface is sealed, flat and easy on paws the whole way, and it works as a there-and-back trip or a point-to-point with a train ride back. Sandown Street Beach has a freshwater tap near the big dog statue, bag dispensers and bins at the gates, and public toilets sit at Brighton Beach, Green Point and Half Moon Bay, with shaded picnic tables near Green Point.

Getting there and parking

Middle Brighton or Brighton Beach stations on the Sandringham line are the easiest entry at the northern end. If driving, there is paid parking at the Brighton Beach bathing boxes, Green Point and Half Moon Bay, plus limited free street parking on the side streets.

When to go

Summer weekday early mornings let you combine an on-lead stretch of path with an off-lead swim at Sandown Street before the 10am beach cutoff. In the cooler months the sand opens up all day in the designated zones, and the path stays pleasant outside the weekend cycling peaks.

More walks nearby

At the southern end, the Half Moon Bay off-leash area makes a natural turnaround point, and Brighton Beach dog off-leash area covers the northern sand. Brighton Jetty Bakery is a solid on-lead refuel stop on the way.

More routes are on the Victoria trails guide and the Brighton destination page.