Billai Dhagun Circuit

Billai Dhagun Circuit is a 2.4km loop through Boondall Wetlands in northern Brisbane, an easy walk on boardwalks and graded paths through mangroves, salt flats and casuarina forest. The name means place of she-oaks, and dogs are welcome on lead so long as they stay on the marked tracks, because this is Ramsar-listed shorebird habitat.

Leash status

Dogs must stay on lead for the entire circuit, enforced most strictly near the intertidal mudflats and mangroves, and there is no off-leash area anywhere inside the reserve. Walking off the tracks and boardwalks is prohibited, and waste needs to be bagged and binned since it washes straight into the wetland system.

Max: keep the leash short near the boardwalk edges. The mudflats look solid but they are not, and the shorebirds this reserve protects will scatter at the first dog off track.

The walk

Graded 1 of 5 and flat the whole way, the circuit takes 30 minutes to an hour and suits prams and wheelchairs. The route crosses mangroves and paperbark forest, passes a bird hide overlooking Nundah and Cabbage Tree creeks, and touches sections of the Nurri Millen Totems Trail, 18 Indigenous artworks threaded through the reserve.

It also connects to the Boondall Wetlands Bikeway if you want to stretch the outing, though the shared path means a tighter leash where bikes pass.

Water and hazards

This is a look, not a swim: the creeks and mudflats are tidal and dogs stay on the tracks rather than in the water. Bring your own water because there is no dog station on the circuit.

Council has flagged washouts, ruts and uneven surfaces on some tracks after Tropical Cyclone Alfred, so check the council alert before you go. Paths also turn muddy or flood after rain.

Getting there and parking

Free parking sits at the Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre off Paperbark Drive, just off the motorway, with toilets and picnic tables near the centre. Boondall station is close but a fair walk from the start, so driving is easier with a dog.

When to go

Weekday afternoons are quietest, with Sunday and Monday afternoons drawing the biggest crowds. Time a visit to low tide for the best birdwatching from the hide.

More walks nearby

For off-lead time afterwards, Boondall Dog Park on College Way, Boondall Park and Nudgee Waterhole Reserve all handle the social run.

More routes are on the QLD trails guide and the Boondall destination page.