Long Reef Headland Loop

The Long Reef Headland Loop is a short clifftop circuit between Collaroy and Dee Why on Sydney's northern beaches, with water views north to the Central Coast and south toward Manly. The one fact that decides whether this walk suits you and your dog is simple: the formed track is the only part of the headland a dog may legally stand on. Everything around it, from the beaches to the rock platform, is protected habitat where dogs are banned at all times.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on lead on the loop walk as signposted, under Northern Beaches Council rules. Three protected areas surround the track and they are closed to dogs full stop. The Long Reef Wildlife Protection Area covers Fisherman's Beach, Long Reef Beach, the foreshore, the dunes, the golf course and Dee Why Lagoon. The Long Reef Aquatic Reserve covers the rock platform from the Collaroy rockpools to the surf club, and the Dee Why Lagoon Wildlife Refuge is out too. In practice that means staying on the track and nothing either side of it. The beaches at the bottom of the path look tempting on a hot day and they are exactly where fines get issued.

Max: The beach right below the track is off limits every hour of every day. It is a wildlife protection area, not an off leash beach, and rangers do patrol it.

The walk

The council describes a 3 km medium grade circuit of formed tracks, gentle hills, boardwalks and the occasional set of steps; AllTrails logs it at 3.5 km and easy. Either way it is under an hour at a dog's pace. The track is fully exposed to the weather, which makes it brilliant in winter and punishing in February. Whale season, roughly June to August, is the pick of the year.

Water and shade

There is no water on the loop, so carry what you need, and with the beaches and rock platform out of bounds there is no swim at the end of it either. Shade is zero from end to end. Amenities sit near the Fisherman's Beach huts and the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club. A thick coated dog on a warm afternoon is a bad combination up here, so go early or go late.

Hazards

Clifftop edges run unfenced in places and the wind off the ocean is constant. Keep the lead short near the drops and skip the loop entirely on days of strong southerly gusts.

Getting there and parking

Access is easiest off Anzac Avenue in Collaroy. Car parks sit near Fishermans Beach and at the surf club: free for vehicles displaying a Northern Beaches Council parking permit, otherwise pay and display at $6 an hour or $10 all day Monday to Friday, and $26 all day on weekends, public holidays and school holidays. The B1 B-Line to Collaroy leaves a walk of roughly ten to fifteen minutes.

While you're out there

If your dog needs an off lead run before or after the loop, Griffith Park just inland is a 24 hour unfenced off leash area. For more coastal walking, the Bicentennial Coastal Walk Long Reef Point covers the same stretch of headland. Afterwards, Ciao Bella in Collaroy takes dogs at the outdoor tables. See more options on the NSW trails list or around Collaroy.

When to go

Early morning or the last hour of light on a weekday is the quiet window. Winter is the season for this track: whales offshore, no heat on the exposed path, and steady walkers of any age comfortable on a lead the whole way round.