Hunters Hill

This is a 4.5 km easy circuit around Hunters Hill, the leafy peninsula suburb between the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers in Sydney's inner north-west, with Boronia Park as its green centre. Dogs walk it on lead, and the mix of village streets and bushland track makes it one of the more pleasant neighbourhood loops on the lower north shore.

Count on an easy grade over about 4.5 km, which takes most walkers a bit over an hour with a dog, mixing quiet residential footpaths with bushland track through Boronia Park and glimpses of the water along the way. The suburb is hilly enough to feel like exercise without asking anything technical of a dog, and the surfaces stay good year round.

Count on an easy grade over about 4.5 km, mixing quiet residential footpaths with bushland track through Boronia Park and glimpses of the water along the way. The suburb is hilly enough to feel like exercise without asking anything technical of a dog, and the surfaces stay good year round.

Leash status

Hunters Hill Council manages the land, which is Crown land, and on lead is the general rule across its public areas. The council does designate off-leash areas, including a section of Boronia Park's Oval 3, but the boundaries and hours are specific and can change, so treat the sign at the entrance as the authority rather than anything you read beforehand. Off-leash play on the oval also pauses whenever organised sport is underway.

Bring water for the middle stretches, as the village strip at the start and end is where the fountains and cafes cluster. The bushland edges of Boronia Park are where you are most likely to meet wildlife, so a short lead is the polite default through the trees.

Hazards and footing

Road crossings punctuate the circuit, and Ryde Road traffic is the busiest of them. The bushland sections can hold puddles after rain and the stone steps through Boronia Park are uneven in places, though nothing that troubles a sure-footed dog.

When to go

Early morning suits the walk best, before school traffic and weekend brunch queues build in the village. The tree cover keeps summer mornings workable, and the water glimpses are at their best in late afternoon light.

More walks nearby

Refuel at Miranda Hunters Hill on Ryde Road, where the front courtyard takes dogs, or at The Sunroom and Grey Grus Cafe around the village.

More routes are on the New South Wales dog walk guide and the Hunters Hill destination page.