Eight new off-leash areas have opened across the Woollahra LGA following years of community consultation and a formal review process completed in late 2025, with Percival Park in Rose Bay and Woollahra Ovals 2 and 3 among the most significant additions for local dog owners.
The changes, formally approved on 27 October 2025 after a community consultation process that drew 480 submissions, represent the most substantial expansion of dog walking access in the Woollahra area in recent years. Five more off-leash locations are also on the way, pending playground fencing upgrades, with details to be confirmed in the coming months.
For Rose Bay residents who have watched dogs frolicking on the foreshore for years without equivalent access in nearby parks, the addition of Percival Park changes the options available within easy reach of home.
What’s now open in and around Rose Bay
Percival Park in Rose Bay is now an off-leash area, converting from its previous on-leash status to give the suburb another option alongside the well-loved Rose Bay Foreshore beach.
Woollahra Ovals 2 and 3, also in Rose Bay, are now off-leash from 3:30pm to 10:30am, making the oval complex available to dogs during the hours it is not in use for sport.
Elsewhere in the broader area, Cooper Park’s upper amphitheatre is now off-leash, Robertson Park and Beach between the Yacht Club and Ferry Wharf at Watsons Bay is off-leash from 3:30pm to 10:30am, Camp Cove Reserve in Watsons Bay is now open to off-leash dogs, Steyne Park Sportsfield in Double Bay is off-leash from 5pm to 8:30am, and Moncur Reserve in Woollahra is off-leash from 3:30pm to 10:30am.
Established off-leash hours at Lower Cooper Park, Lough Playing Fields and Dumaresq Reserve are also being extended, adding more time to existing popular locations for those who already use them regularly.
New on-leash access too
The expansion is not limited to off-leash areas. Three new on-leash locations have been added for dog owners who want more places to walk without needing to manage an off-leash environment. Tingira Memorial Park in Rose Bay and its adjacent beach is now accessible on-leash, giving Rose Bay residents a beautiful harbour-edge walking option that was previously off-limits to dogs.
Derby Street Reserve in Vaucluse and Murray Rose Pool in Double Bay up to the café level are also now available for on-leash walking.
Five more areas coming once fencing is done
A formal review wrapped up on 27 October 2025 with 21 updates to local dog controls, opening up significantly more areas across the LGA for dog walking. Of those, five additional off-leash locations still require playground fencing upgrades before they can open to ensure safety for children and dogs sharing the same spaces. Details on those locations will be announced once the fencing work is complete.
Dog walking is the third most popular use of Woollahra’s parks, beaches and reserves, behind walking and swimming, and dog ownership across the LGA has grown significantly in recent years, mirroring national trends.
For the full updated list of where you can walk your dog on and off-leash across the Woollahra area, click here.
Published 20-May-2026
