trail ✓ Dogs welcome, verified with City of Newcastle

Bathers Way

3.4 km, easy walk

4.6 (230) Open in Google Maps

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The rules at a glance

On-lead welcome

Verified dog-friendly with City of Newcastle

The Hill, NSW

Rules verified 26 July 2026

Dogs: Welcome
Where: The Hill, NSW
Policy checked: 2026-07-26

Pet policy

King Edward Park includes an unfenced designated off-leash area, but the Bathers Way coastal path and surrounding areas require dogs on lead - follow signage.

Verified via newcastle.nsw.gov.au

Bathers Way is the sealed coastal path that runs the length of the Newcastle beaches, from Nobbys down to Merewether Baths, and this is the King Edward Park section through The Hill. About 3.4 km of it, an hour at a wander, with the ocean beside you the whole way. The detail worth knowing: the path is on lead, but King Edward Park alongside it holds a designated off lead area that is not fenced.

The walk. AllTrails rates the section easy at 3.4 km, roughly 50 minutes. It is fully paved and accessible, rising and falling gently over the headlands, and it joins the full 6 km run of coastline if you want to keep going. Benches are frequent and the views do most of the work.

The rules. The City of Newcastle manages the path and dogs stay on lead along it. Dogs are not permitted on the patrolled beaches, including Newcastle Beach and Bar Beach, during patrol hours. King Edward Park contains a designated off lead area, but it is unfenced and sits near cliff edges and roads, so read the signage on the ground before you unclip.

Max's takegerman shepherd

Unfenced off lead beside a clifftop is a recall test, not a rest stop. If your dog is a bolter, keep the lead on and use a fenced park instead.

Getting there. Street parking on Memorial Drive at The Hill and in the beach carparks, all of which fill fast on a fine weekend. The Newcastle Light Rail reaches Newcastle Beach and bus routes serve the coastal strip. Toilets are at Memorial Walk, Bar Beach and Merewether Beach, with water and bins along the way.

Nearby with the dogs. King Edward Park Off-leash Area is the one beside this path, and Newcastle Dog Off-Leash Area is the other local option. Bathers Way to Newcastle covers the southern half. Eddie's is the closest coffee, Blue Door Kiosk Merewether sits at the far end, and QT Newcastle takes dogs.

When to go. Before 8am or after 5pm. The path is exposed with very little shade, it is busiest through the middle of weekends and holidays, and the surface holds the heat. Good for seniors and nervous dogs early, when it is quiet and the paving is still cool.