Brighton Dog Beach: Sandown Street Off-Lead Rules

Brighton dog beach rules, beach by beach

Every time below is from Bayside City Council's dog-friendly and dog-free beaches page, which lists the summer rules. In winter, from 1 April to 31 October, the council says there is “greater off-leash access” on beaches and points owners to its interactive walking your dog map. It does not publish winter times for each beach in plain text, so we have not written any.

The summer switch is on a fixed date, not daylight saving. Bayside's summer notice for 2026 confirms that from 1 November to 31 March off-lead hours are limited to early mornings and evenings, with some sections dog-free in the middle of the day. Sandown Street Beach is one of three exceptions; the others are Sandringham Harbour and Ricketts Point between McGregor Avenue and Beaumaris Yacht Club.

Where the Sandown Street dog beach starts and ends

This is the question that causes the most confusion, and Bayside answered it on the record. At its 20 May 2025 council meeting, the council said the dog off-lead area known as Sandown Beach Dog Park stays as it is, from Sandown Street to Bay Street, with no plan to extend it. It also said the area from Normanby Street to Sandown Street, including the sand outside Middle Brighton Baths and the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, is not part of the dog off-lead area.

So if you are standing near the baths or the yacht club, you are not on the dog beach yet. Walk to Sandown Street; the main access point is from there. Bayside's 2019 North Road Foreshore Masterplan calls the area the Sandown Street Spit, and explains where it came from: the sand spit built up after Middle Brighton Pier was constructed, around 1938.

Inside those boundaries, the same masterplan describes the dog beach as mostly sand with some dunes of indigenous coastal plants, fenced along the beach, with rubbish bins and poo bag dispensers maintained by the council. It also notes a drinking fountain at the public toilet block between Middle Brighton Baths and the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, and that the drinking fountains along this foreshore have dog bowls. Facilities can change after a 2019 plan, so carry your own water.

What Brighton dog beach is like for a dog

Calm bay water. Brighton faces west across Port Phillip Bay, which is sheltered from ocean swell. For most of the year that means flat water and an easy wade-in. On days with strong south-westerly wind, waves can build across the bay, so watch a weak swimmer.

Busy, and not just with locals. The council's masterplan says the dog beach is popular with Bayside residents and with dog owners from all over Melbourne, including professional dog walkers and dog photographers, and is occasionally used by kite surfers. Because it is one of very few beaches open to off-lead dogs at midday in summer, expect it to be at its busiest on hot weekend afternoons. Weekday mornings are calmer.

Fenced, but not enclosed. The fence runs along the beach, but the water side is open. A dog that ignores your recall can wade or swim past the end of the area. This is a beach for dogs that come back, not a substitute for a fenced dog park.

Rare plants and native animals. The spit holds a population of Strand sedge (Carex pumila), a plant the council calls regionally significant and monitors for trampling. The masterplan also names predation by domestic dogs as a threat to Rakali, the native water rat, which uses the rock walls, breakwaters and groynes along this foreshore. Keep your dog off the vegetated dunes and out of the rocks.

Getting there

• Where: the foreshore at the end of Sandown Street, Brighton, in the City of Bayside, between Sandown Street and Bay Street. The main access point is from Sandown Street.
• Parking: The council does not list parking for the dog beach; read the signs where you stop. Keep your dog on a lead in the car park (Bayside requires it in all car parks).
• Public transport: plan the trip with the Public Transport Victoria website, and check its rules on travelling with a dog.
• Toilets: the masterplan places a public toilet between Middle Brighton Baths and the Royal Brighton Yacht Club.

The rules on the day

Bayside is an on-leash municipality outside its signed off-lead areas. Its walking your dog page sets out what applies on and around the dog beach:

• Effective control at all times. You must be able to call your dog back promptly and put it on a lead if needed.
• Bags. It is an offence not to carry enough bags and pick up after your dog. Use the public bins or take it home; putting dog waste in a resident's bin is also an offence.
• Four dogs at most. You can only walk up to four dogs at once.
• On a lead within 20 metres of a children's play area, a public meeting, a permanent barbecue and picnic area, an on-lead signed lake or pond, or an organised sporting event.
• On a lead in all car parks.
• Registration tag on the collar.
• Leave wildlife alone. Bayside asks owners to stop dogs digging or chasing local wildlife, including shorebirds, and to ask before approaching other people or dogs.
• Greyhounds stay on lead, even here (Agriculture Victoria).

Safety at Brighton dog beach

Heat and hot sand. Because Sandown Street is open to dogs at midday, it is the beach where heat matters most. Melbourne summers bring heatwave days, and dry sand can burn paw pads. Test the sand with the back of your hand; if you cannot hold it there for a few seconds, come back in the evening. Bring fresh water and a bowl, and never leave a dog in a parked car. Heatstroke needs a vet straight away.

Water quality after rain. EPA Victoria's advice is not to swim in Port Phillip Bay for 48 hours after rain, or longer if drains are still flowing or the water is murky or smells bad. Check the EPA Beach Report, which forecasts bay water quality twice a day in the warmer months, and rinse your dog with fresh water afterwards.

Paralysis tick is a low risk in Melbourne. The Australian paralysis tick is an eastern-seaboard species and does not establish in Melbourne's climate, so it is not a routine beach worry in Brighton. Use tick prevention before trips to the NSW coast or East Gippsland, and ask your vet about flea, worm and heartworm prevention, which matter year-round in Victoria.

Busy-beach manners. With many dogs and professional walkers sharing a narrow spit, play can tip into scuffles. Call your dog away from a group that looks tense, and do not bring food or toys your dog guards.

Emergency vets. The Animal Emergency Centre in Mount Waverley is listed at emergencyvet.com.au, Advanced Vetcare in Kensington runs a 24/7 emergency hospital, and Lort Smith in North Melbourne runs an emergency vet from 8am to 10pm every day. Save one in your phone before you go.

Nearby dog beaches

• Sandringham Harbour (Bayside): off-lead at all times, all year. Hampton Beach right next to it is dog-free all summer, so check which side you are on.
• Ricketts Point, McGregor Avenue to Beaumaris Yacht Club (Bayside): off-lead at all times. Dogs are banned from the intertidal rock platforms and seagrass beds of the marine sanctuary.
• Elwood Beach (City of Port Phillip), just north across the council border: dogs on the sand from 7.30pm to 10am in summer, between the rock groyne south of Point Ormond and the rock groyne in front of Elwood Angling Club (Port Phillip).
• St Kilda West Beach (Port Phillip): the council's year-round dog beach.

For every bay council's times in one table, see our guide to all Melbourne dog beaches. West of the city, our Port Melbourne dog beach guide and Altona dog beach guide cover two more Melbourne dog beaches.

Is Brighton dog beach right for a newly adopted rescue dog?

Not as a first outing, in most cases. The water is gentle, but Sandown Street is one of the busiest dog beaches in Melbourne, with lots of dogs off lead at once, groups walked by professionals, and an open water edge. A dog that has just changed homes is still learning who you are and what its name is. Dropping it into a crowd of loose dogs on a hot Saturday is a hard first test, and a bad first meeting can make a nervous dog warier of other dogs for weeks.

1. Visit on a lead first, on a weekday morning, and just watch how your dog copes with other dogs coming up to it.
2. Practise recall elsewhere. A quieter off-lead area or a fenced park is the place to build a reliable recall before you rely on it here.
3. Use a long line when you first let your dog paddle, so it cannot drift out of the area through the water.
4. Read the listing notes. Rescue and shelter listings often say how a dog gets on with other dogs. If a listing says the dog is not suited to off-lead areas, believe it.
5. Leave early if needed. A dog that freezes, hides behind you or goes stiff is telling you it has had enough. Walk away calmly and keep the next visit shorter.

Get your new dog microchipped, registered with your council and wearing its tag before the first beach trip. Our Melbourne dog registration guide explains how council registration works after adoption, and our greyhound recall guide covers the on-lead rule for adopted greyhounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep exploring