Puckey's Estate Walking Track

Boardwalks and gravel paths wind through paperbark forest and wetland in Puckey's Estate Nature Reserve, then come out at a beach where dogs can run off lead. That bush-to-beach finish is the reason to come.

Leads and the off-lead beach

Wollongong City Council manages the reserve, partly as an annex of the Wollongong Botanic Garden. Dogs must stay on lead on every track and boardwalk inside it.

The off-lead zone is the northern part of Puckeys Beach, at the southern end of Fairy Meadow Beach, and runs south for about 1.3 kilometres toward Fairy Creek Lagoon. The lagoon itself is not off-lead, and some protected beach areas nearby ban dogs altogether.

The walk

The paths are mostly flat and pram-friendly, mixing raised timber boardwalk with compacted gravel and dirt. Expect coastal bush, plenty of birds and the remains of early 1900s salt works.

The car park off Elliots Road near the Fairy Meadow Surf Life Saving Club reaches both the reserve and the beach, with toilets and bins nearby.

Max: The scrub and long grass here carry ticks. Make sure your dog's tick protection is current, and check them over when you get home.

Pair it with

The Stuart Park Loop makes an easy second walk, and Diggies is there for a coffee after.

When to go

Flat paths suit dogs of any age, and the beach at the end rewards the ones with energy to burn. Bring water for the dog.