North Road to St Kilda Pier via Elwood Beach

This is 8.9 km of the Bay Trail from North Road in Brighton to St Kilda Pier, flat and sealed the whole way, and the thing to understand before starting is that the path is on lead end to end while the sand beside it changes rules three times.

Leash status

Both councils are blunt about the trail itself. Bayside City Council requires dogs on lead on all areas adjacent to beaches, including the path, and City of Port Phillip requires leads on beach pathways and boardwalks and in all public areas unless signed otherwise. The pier is Parks Victoria ground: dogs are permitted on the structure on a lead and prohibited from the breakwater beyond it.

Where the sand opens up

Three arrangements on one walk. Sandown Street Beach at the Brighton end takes dogs off leash on the sand year round. Elwood allows dogs on the sand from 1 April to 31 October, and through summer only between 7:30pm and 10am, within the signed zone between the rock groyne south of Point Ormond and the groyne in front of the Elwood Angling Club.

St Kilda West Dog Beach is the year round finish line, off leash on the sand at all hours, though the St Kilda Foreshore Reserve beside it is dog-free in every season. Clip on before you step off the sand anywhere on this route.

Max: the summer Elwood window shuts at 10am and it is enforced. If you are still on the sand at five past, you are the reason the rules tighten.

Water and hazards

The bay is the drinking-water problem on a two hour walk, so carry a bottle and a foldable bowl, since fountains cluster near the major reserves rather than along the whole route. The path is a cycling route as much as a walking one, so a short lead beats a long one and dogs that chase wheels should stay on the beach side of you.

When to go

Early morning is the strongest window: cooler path, lighter bike traffic, and in summer it is the only time Elwood's sand is open. The trail is fully exposed, so midday in January is hard going for a coated dog.

More walks nearby

The Elwood Park via Bay Trail section overlaps the middle of this walk if you want a shorter loop, and the Elwood Beach Dog Off Leash Area page carries the current zone detail in full.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly trails guide and the Brighton destination page.