Where to walk your dogs

Download Surf Coast Shire Dog Regulations map(PDF, 2MB)

We all know dogs love walkies, so Council has some rules in place to keep dogs, humans and the environment safe and happy.

The basic rule is clear:

All dogs are required to be on a leash in all public places in township areas unless it is a designated off leash area.

The rules outside township areas are the same as off leash areas.

Off leash areas include some reserves and some beaches, but in these areas dogs must still be under effective control.

What is effective control? When your dog is called it must return to you immediately. If it doesn't, pop it back on the lead.

Hooded plovers

Exclusion zones are currently in place to protect vulnerable hooded plover chicks at these locations, so please keep your distance especially in these areas:

• Whites Beach, Torquay
• Point Impossible Nudist Beach
• Red Rocks Point Addis
• Point Roadknight 95W, 96 W and 97 W
• Hutt Gully  
• Aireys Inlet/Fairhaven
• Lorne

Get more information on hooded plovers from Parks Victoria and the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority.

Where are the dog-free zones?

Playgrounds

The Surf Coast dog regulations map(PDF, 2MB) shows all areas where dog are and are not allowed, but remember they are never allowed in playgrounds (even if they are allowed in the reserve around the playground), national parks, or environmentally sensitive areas including Point Roadknight, which is a known breeding ground for the vulnerable hooded plover.

Dog friendly parks from Parks Victoria

Peak season time-shares

Over peak visitor periods including summer and the Easter weekend, timeshare restrictions operate on some popular beaches that are often crowded during the day. This means dogs aren't allowed in certain areas from 9am - 7pm.

You can check dog controls in any area by looking for signs or checking the Surf Coast dog regulations map(PDF, 2MB). Get a hard copy of the map at any Visitor Information Centre or Council's Torquay office.

For information relating to dog friendly beaches between Torquay and Lorne not included in the Surf Coast dog regulations map, please refer to the Parks Victoria link below. 

Assistance dogs

An assistance dog is any dog that is helping a person with a disability and has met the state standards for public access rights.

The DDA allows qualified assistance dogs to accompany their handler into all public spaces. 

The only exceptions to this may be spaces in which a person’s disability is being addressed by other means, or areas with stringent sterility requirements, for example:

• Specific Clinical Settings
• Surgically sterilised areas
• Industrial food preparation areas (kitchens)
• Quarantined areas

Assistance dogs are a necessary aid to allow a person with a disability to engage in their community. You wouldn’t ask someone who needs a walking stick to leave it at the door.

Find out more about public access rights from Assistance Dogs Australia