Solway to Burnley via Gardiners Creek Trail

The Gardiners Creek Trail runs 15.8 kilometres from the Solway Street bridge in Malvern East north along the creek, known to its traditional owners as Kooyong Koot, to Burnley where it joins the Yarra. It is flat, fully sealed and almost entirely off-road, which makes it one of the most dependable dog walks in Melbourne's inner east: no kerbs, no traffic lights, just a continuous shared path threading through a chain of suburban reserves.

The walk

End to end it is a 15.8 kilometre one-way run, or roughly 7.9 kilometres back to your car if you walk out and return, taking about three and a half to four hours for the round trip. Very few dogs need the full distance. The better plan is to pick a segment between two reserves, since every access point along the route works as a start or finish. The surface is easy going for old joints and pram wheels alike, and the creek corridor carries plenty of shade and birdlife.

Leash status

Dogs must be on lead within 10 metres of the shared trail, and the path itself is on-lead territory the whole way. The route crosses the Cities of Stonnington, Monash and Boroondara, and the reserve rules differ slightly on either side, so the safe default is clipped on whenever you are near the path. Several adjacent reserves do have signed off-lead zones set back from the trail and the sports fields, including the Gardiners Creek Reserve area at Burwood and Ashwood, and Nettleton Park further north. Check the signage before you unclip.

Max: The 10 metre rule catches people out. Being inside a reserve does not make it off-lead ground if you are still near the path, so walk in properly before unclipping.

Water and terrain

The grade is flat and the surface is sealed from start to finish. Drinking fountains with dog bowls appear through the parks along the route, and there are picnic tables, shaded benches and barbecue areas at the larger reserves. Public toilets exist at some reserve points but not all, so plan stops around the bigger parks. The creek itself is not a swimming option for dogs.

Hazards

The main risk is the shared path itself: it doubles as a bike commuter route and narrows in places, so a short lead is not optional at the pinch points. If your dog is reactive to other dogs, the wider grassed reserves off the main path are a better bet than the tight sections. Give way at blind corners and call ahead of you rather than after.

Getting there and parking

The southern trailhead sits at the Solway Street bridge in Malvern East, with street parking in the surrounding blocks and buses along Warrigal Road and High Street. Access points are everywhere the trail meets a reserve, so it works just as well from Ashburton, Glen Iris or Burwood stations on the Alamein and Belgrave Lilydale lines. Cyclists and joggers use it from early morning.

When to go

Weekday mornings are calmest on the path; weekends bring runners, families and prams from about eight. Summer heat is the other constraint, since much of the middle run is open to the sun, so go early on warm days. After rain the low sections can hold water near the creek.

While you're out there

For a proper off-lead run beside the trail, Gardiners Creek Reserve Dog Off Leash Area sits right on the route at Burwood, and Nettleton Park Dog Off Leash Area gives the creek corridor a bushy detour. Back near the start, Central Park Dog Off Leash Area and Ardrie Park Dog Off Leash Area are both close to the Malvern East end.

See more dog walks in Victoria or check out Malvern East for dogs.