Banyule Flats Reserve Loop

The Banyule Flats Reserve Loop is a 4.3 km circuit across the Yarra river flats between Heidelberg and Viewbank in Melbourne's north east. It is an unusually good dog walk for the suburbs, because parts of the reserve are designated off lead under Banyule City Council rules, with a catch worth knowing before you arrive: the wetland at the heart of the reserve is closed to dogs completely.

The walk

The loop is graded easy and takes about an hour, running flat across open grassland on a mix of mown track and shared gravel path, with Banyule Swamp on one side and the river on the other. Kangaroos graze the flats at dawn and dusk, which is the main reason to keep a dog close even where off lead is permitted.

Leash status

The council allows dogs off lead in the designated parts of the reserve under effective control, but sets limits that matter on this loop. Dogs must be on lead within five metres of the shared Main Yarra Trail and connecting paths, and the wetland and Banyule Billabong are excluded locations where dogs are not permitted at all, protecting the waterbirds that breed there. Car parks and connecting roads are on lead.

Pepsi: the river is the swim, not the swamp. Plenty of bank access on the Yarra side and none of the guilt.

Water

The Yarra is reachable from several points on the eastern side of the loop. Flow is slow and the banks turn muddy after rain, so a rinse afterwards is usually part of the deal. Carry drinking water, since there is little of it on the flats.

Watch-outs

Snakes move through the warmer months, particularly in the long grass near the swamp margins. The Main Yarra Trail also carries fast commuter cyclists, which is the practical reason for the five metre lead rule as much as the legal one.

Getting there

Free parking runs along Somerset Drive in Viewbank, the main entry side. By public transport, take the Hurstbridge line to Heidelberg or Rosanna and pick up the 517 bus, which runs close to the reserve. Toilets are limited on the flats themselves, so plan around the trip.

More walks nearby

The signed Banyule Flats Reserve Dog Off Leash Area is the same ground set out in council terms, and the Price Park Fenced Dog Park is the closest fenced option. The Darebin Creek Trail picks up from Heidelberg West for a different river-path run. Afterwards, Brewtique in Heidelberg seats dogs outside.

When to go

Weekday mornings, before the after-work crowd arrives from five o'clock. The flats suit big runners, provided you can call them off a kangaroo. Summer mornings are also when the birdlife is at its busiest on the swamp side, so keep the wetland margin respect going all year.

More options are on the Victoria trails guide and the Heidelberg destination page.