The open space that surrounds the CBD are mostly made up of gardens. Carlton Gardens, Fitzroy Gardens, Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens, Queen Victoria Gardens, Alexandra Gardens and Kings Domain. These places are governed by the Melbourne Parks and Gardens (Joint Trustee Reserves) Regulations 1994 which allow for dogs to be on-leash only.

In the Open Space Strategy, these gardens are placed at the top of our hierarchy of parks and are classed as a Capital City Park. The purpose of these open spaces is as follows:

“Iconic open space that is primarily established and managed to stage activities and events of international, national, state and metropolitan importance, catering to a broader public need. These spaces are synonymous with the character of the City of Melbourne and provide facilities that are known by and primarily for international and interstate visitors to Victoria and the City of Melbourne.” Our view is that dogs off-leash may not be compatible with these high levels of visitation.

The City of Melbourne currently has about 16ha (8 MCGs worth!) set aside for dog off-leash areas.

Last year (as at 28 February 2020) the number of registered dogs stood at 3732. This year (as at 26 February 2021) we have 4504 dogs registered.

Dogs are allowed off-leash in a given area or park for a certain time period. Common models allow off-leash access in both the morning and evening. Some alternatives are between 6am and 7am and 6pm and 7pm; or between the hours of 8pm and 8am. Times and areas would be clearly signed.

Timed access has only been used on sports ovals at Fawkner Park and JJ Holland Park (where off-leash dogs are prohibited while sport is being played) but alternative models have been successfully used by many other councils. It may well be the key to fair and equitable access for all to our areas of open space.

Open spaces serve many purposes for many people and there is high demand on open space for a lot of different activities. Fencing areas for a single use tends to exclude others from using that space, which we prefer not to do.

There are some exceptions, generally for small spaces which are on or near busy roads. These are Clayton Reserve and Stawell Street Reserve (which is partially fenced). Another fully fenced dog park will soon be constructed at Kings Way and Moray Street Reserve.

In accordance with gazetted municipal orders, the City of Melbourne is by default an on-lead municipality unless otherwise signed. All dog owners should make themselves familiar with off-lead locations before letting their dog off-leash.

The Activities Local Law 2019 requires owners to collect and dispose of their dog’s waste responsibly and to always carry an appropriate container such as a plastic bag or pooper scooper. Dog waste carries many diseases, so please pick up after your dog and keep our streets, parks and waterways clean. The dog waste bag dispensers that are in some of our parks are a courtesy to dog owners who may suddenly run out while on a walk with their dog. Currently the City provides around 2.5 million bags annually at a cost of $80,000.

Dogs are prohibited from a few areas mainly due to the presence of wildlife which could be negatively impacted if dogs regularly visited the area. For example: Trin Warren Tam-boore Wetland. Dogs are also prohibited from a few specific play areas. For example: the playground at JJ Holland Park.