Cooks River Short Loop

The Cooks River Short Loop is a 3.1 km flat circuit starting at Gough Whitlam Park in Tempe, following the river past parkland and mangroves and back. It is on-lead the whole way, and it shares its path with some quick cyclists.

The walk

Three point one kilometres, graded easy with barely any climbing, and thirty to sixty minutes depending on how much sniffing is allowed. The surface is sealed shared cycleway the entire distance with no climbing at all, which makes it one of the more forgiving loops in the inner west for an old dog or one coming back from injury. It links Gough Whitlam Park with Mackey Park, Kendrick Park and Tempe Reserve, so you can extend or cut it easily.

Leash status

Dogs are on-lead throughout, on the shared path and through the parklands, with the policy confirmed by the City of Canterbury Bankstown. Dogs stay at least 10 metres from playgrounds and from areas where people are eating, and the riverbank birdlife means keeping your dog genuinely under control rather than nominally on a lead. Bins are provided along the path.

Watch-outs

Max: this is a commuter cycleway, not a park path. Riders come through fast and quiet from behind. Keep the lead short and on your body side rather than letting it trail across the width of the path.

The ground around the Cooks River footbridge turns boggy after rain, so stay on the sealed and elevated sections when it has been wet, and watch dogs near the muddy tidal edges. Otherwise this is about as low-risk as an urban walk gets.

Water

Taps are available near the sports fields and there are toilets at Gough Whitlam Park, but the supply is not consistent around the loop, so bring your own bottle and bowl.

Getting there

Tempe Station is the easy answer, with the loop starting a short walk away. Driving, there is parking at Gough Whitlam Park on Bayview Avenue and at Kendrick Park.

Close by with the dogs

The Tempe Dog Park has separate fenced runs for small and large dogs, the off-lead answer at this end, and Good Days Cafe handles the coffee. For more distance, the Cooks River Cycleway follows the same river much further, and the Wolli Creek Walking Track is the bushier alternative.

When to go

Mid-morning or early afternoon on a weekday is the calm window. Weekend mornings and sunny afternoons are busiest, and if a weekend is the only option, be there before 9am. Good for seniors and dogs coming back from injury, given the flat surface and short distance.

More options are on the New South Wales dog walks guide and the Tempe destination page.