Yarra Bend Park

Yarra Bend Park is the largest area of natural bushland left in inner Melbourne, wrapping the Yarra through Kew, Fairfield and Abbotsford. For dog owners it is one of the best pieces of ground in the city, with river swimming and ten off lead zones. It also contains places dogs may not go at all, and one of them, Galatea Point, is easy to walk into by accident.

The walk

The main park loop runs about 8.7 km and rates moderate, a mix of sealed shared path and unsealed riverbank track with genuine climbs where the trail leaves the water. The Main Yarra Trail runs through it, so you can join or leave at a dozen points. Shorter pieces of the same country have their own pages: Wurundjeri Spur Lookout takes in the escarpment above the river, and Darebin Creek Trail picks up the next valley east.

Leash status

Parks Victoria allows a maximum of four dogs per person, and commercial dog trainers need a Tour Operator Licence. Most of the park is on lead. Dogs are not allowed at all at Galatea Point, the Fairlea Netball Courts, the golf courses, or in any playground, and not on sports grounds during events. Galatea Point is the one to have in your head before you set out: it sits on an attractive bend of the river and nothing about the ground announces it. Read the signage. The off lead areas are Merri Creek Valley and Escarpment Picnic Area, Andrews Reserve, Deep Rock, Deep Rock East, Westfield, Wills St Lookout, Lower Loop Picnic Area, Dights Falls Loop Trail, Corben Oval and the Fairlea Sports Precinct, the last off lead only when not in use for sport. Carry a lead even in those zones and keep your dog under effective control. Rangers patrol and issue fines.

Pepsi: Deep Rock is the swim. Go on a settled day with the river low and clear, not the morning after a downpour when the current is doing the deciding.

Water

Dogs can swim in the river at Deep Rock, the designated spot and the reason half the park's regulars turn up. After heavy rain the river runs fast and the banks get slick, so pick your day.

Hazards

Snakes, and Parks Victoria does not soften this. They are described as surprisingly common in the park, especially near water and thick vegetation, and snakebite poisons a dog quickly and is often fatal.

Max: Warm afternoons, long grass, water nearby. That is snake weather, and it describes most of this park from October to March. Short grass, short lead, and know your nearest emergency vet before you need it.

There is also a flying fox colony near Dights Falls and the Fairfield bank, so keep dogs away from the roost and anything on the ground beneath it. Steep riverbank tracks and a busy shared path with cyclists round out the list.

Getting there and parking

Main car access is via Studley Park Road in Kew, with parking at the Studley Park Boathouse loops. Fairfield and Alphington stations are a short walk from the northern side, and the Main Yarra Trail brings you in on foot or by bike. Adjoining council land is City of Yarra and City of Boroondara, each with its own rules.

Close by with the dogs

Off lead council reserves ring the park: T H Westfield Reserve and Victoria Park in Kew. Fairfield Park Boathouse and Tea Gardens sits on the river at the northern end and Willo Cafe is in Kew. More options are on the VIC trails list and around Kew.

When to go

Weekday mid morning, once the commuter cyclists have cleared. Autumn and winter are the pick, both for cooler walking and because snake activity drops away. Good for big runners who want distance and a swim in the same outing.