1001 Steps at Bayview Park

The 1001 Steps at Bayview Park is Casey's answer to the Ferntree Gully original: a staircase track built up the side of the old quarry landfill on Quarry Road, Narre Warren North, opening in 2019 and quickly becoming the busiest fitness walk in the city.

The climb runs roughly 1.4 to 2.1 kilometres depending on the variant you take, over gravel, asphalt and deep step sections, topping out on a hilltop with views across the City of Casey to Western Port and Port Phillip Bay.

What makes it unusual for Melbourne's south east is the dog rule - the Dandenong 1000 Steps bans dogs outright, while the Casey version allows them on lead, per City of Casey, across the track and the surrounding parkland.

The climb

Set out from the purpose-built carpark at the bottom of the park and the track goes up almost immediately, a steady stair climb with handrails on the steeper flights.

The steps are the draw as runners and fitness walkers come here to lap the hill, so expect a constant stream of traffic and keep your dog tight to your left as people pass.

Off the stairs the loop opens into gravel and asphalt paths that circle the parkland, an easier option if the full staircase is more than your dog needs.

Photo: Pepsi & Max

Max: a whole hill of stairs and I only tried to drag him off-track twice. Pepsi raced the steps like she had somewhere to be. We finished on the open lawn at the top with the bay in the distance.

Photo: Pepsi & Max

On lead everywhere, and the dog park down the road

Dogs are welcome on leash at all times, a policy stated plainly on the City of Casey's own page for the park, and there is no off-lead area within the reserve.

If your dog needs a run, the practical pairing is to climb here on lead first, then drive the short hop to the fenced run at Kalora Park Oval Fenced Dog Park and let the leash off properly.

Bring water as the taps around the park are unreliable, a recurring note in visitor reviews, and the climb will earn your dog a drink either way.

Photo: Pepsi & Max

The hill at the end of Quarry Road

Bayview Park sits on the rise where Narre Warren North's suburban streets meet open paddocks, accessed from its own carpark at the end of Quarry Road.

The site has a masterplan in progress for further improvements, and the parkland around the track is open and grassed, popular with families on the flat paths while the stair climbers grind overhead.

Open all hours, with late afternoon the golden window for the western views and early weekend mornings beating both the carpark rush and the stair traffic.

Photo: Pepsi & Max

If you are making a morning of it, the flat water-edge circuit at Berwick Springs Promenade pairs well with the climb as a cool-down, and Casey Central Park adds another easy walk nearby.

The Victoria dog trails guide has the rest of the state covered.