Flinders Street to Chapel Street via Yarra River

This 7.7 km loop follows the Main Yarra Trail from Flinders Street Station out to Chapel Street and back along the other side of the river, making it one of the easiest long walks with a dog in inner Melbourne. AllTrails rates it easy with 58 metres of elevation, and the flat, sealed path takes about an hour and a half at a steady pace. Prams and wheelchairs cope as well as paws.

Leash status

Dogs are welcome on lead for the whole route, a standard that holds across both councils you pass through. The City of Melbourne covers the CBD and Southbank end, and the South Yarra stretch falls under City of Stonnington, which keeps the same on-lead rule along the river corridor. This is a busy shared path with heavy cyclist and runner traffic, so keep the lead short and hold the left side. Some grassed areas off the path have their own signage, so check as you go.

Water and terrain

The path is fully paved and essentially flat the whole way. Crossing Princes Bridge from Flinders Street Station puts you on the South Yarra side heading east past Como Park, with views across to the Royal Botanic Gardens and a skirt around Herring Island before you reach Chapel Street. Drinking water stations sit at intervals along the trail, waste bins mark the major intersections such as Punt Road, and toilets turn up near Como Park and Boathouse Drive. Grassed pockets along Alexandra Avenue make decent picnic stops.

Getting there and parking

Start at Flinders Street Station, which is served by basically every metro train line plus tram routes along Flinders and Swanston Streets. Parking near the CBD end is expensive and scarce, so public transport beats driving. The Chapel Street end has trams along Swan Street and Toorak Road for the return leg if you only want to walk one way.

Worth knowing

The Yarra rises sharply after heavy rain and the lower sections of path can turn muddy or go partly underwater, so check conditions after a storm. Early mornings are coolest in summer and quietest on the path; weekend middays are the busiest windows with runners and bikes.

Max: treat this as the on-lead energy burner, then finish at Como Park for the real run. Trying to get off-lead time on a busy shared trail is a losing game.

While you're out there

For a proper off-lead run at the far end, Como Park Dog Off-Leash Area sits right on the Chapel Street stretch. On the Southbank side, Moray Street Reserve Fenced Dog Park is a fully enclosed fallback, and Caretakers Cottage near the gardens does a dog-friendly stop for afterwards.

More options are on the Victoria dog friendly trails guide and the Melbourne destination page.