Greater Wetland Walk

The Greater Wetland Walk is a 2.8 km concrete circuit through Berrinba Wetlands at Marsden, south of Brisbane, and it doubles as one of the most dog friendly flat walks in Logan City as long as you accept one condition: the lead stays on for the entire loop. The wetlands sit inside a declared nature refuge, and that status shapes everything about walking here, from the sealed paths to the strict on-leash rule.

The walk

The circuit is flat, wide and fully sealed, taking roughly 40 minutes at an easy pace, and it is the largest of several marked routes in a park that holds about 8.5 km of walkways and bike tracks in total. If 2.8 km is too much for your dog, the Wetland Outlook Circuit runs about 900 metres and the Billabong Outlook Circuit roughly 600, so you can size the outing to the animal. Five substantial bridges carry the route over the water, the longest an 80 metre span standing 28 metres above the Scrubby Creek floodplain. Wheelchairs and prams handle every metre of it.

Leash status

Logan City Council requires dogs to be under effective control at all times, which means voice control only inside designated off-leash parks and a lead everywhere else. Berrinba Wetlands is not an off-leash park, so a lead it is. The reason is on the map: part of the site is the Berrinba Wetlands Nature Refuge, a 39 hectare conservation area declared under Queensland legislation, and around 80 of the park's 120 hectares are set aside for protection and rehabilitation. Waterbirds, pelicans and sugar gliders are the residents here, and a dog loose among them would undo a lot of restoration work.

Max: A refuge full of waterbirds is the wrong place to test my recall. Keep the lead short near the edges and let the birds be the entertainment.

Water, terrain and hazards

The lagoons are habitat, not a swimming hole, so bring your own water and a bowl. The concrete circuits drain well, but the low lying sections and softer paths stay boggy after heavy rain, so stick to the sealed loops when the creek has been up. Wheelchair accessible toilets sit near the main facilities, along with six electric barbecues across three picnic shelters and an interpretive centre with a viewing platform.

Getting there and when to go

The park address is Wayne Goss Drive, Marsden, with parking at the main entrances and buses running along nearby Browns Plains Road. Early morning is the best window: cooler for the dog, active for the birds, and quieter on the shared path before the weekend crowds. Mid afternoon in summer is the walk to skip.

While you're out there

For an off-lead run to balance the leashed loop, the Brandon Park Fenced Dog Park is in the same suburb, and Oakdale Park is close by at Browns Plains. Coffee afterwards is easy at 107 Coffee Terminal / Sabroso. More options are in our Queensland dog friendly walks guide and the Marsden destination page.