Mentone Dog Beach: 24-Hour Off-Lead Rules

Where the Mentone dog beach is

Mentone Beach is on Beach Road, Mentone 3194, in the City of Kingston, on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay. The council's Mentone Beach page describes the Mentone Foreshore Precinct as the northern starting point of a long, curved stretch of coast running from the bluffs near Ricketts Point around what was once called Beaumaris Bay. It says the precinct “contains one of Melbourne's most popular dog beaches”, and the council's beaches page goes further, calling it one of Melbourne's most popular 24-hour dog beaches.

The off-lead part is the north-western end of the beach, between where Charman Road and Plummer Road come down to Beach Road. Charman Road is the end nearer Beaumaris; Plummer Road is to the south-east, towards Parkdale. If you are walking south-east along the sand and pass Plummer Road, you have left the dog beach and the seasonal rules apply.

Mentone also has history worth knowing as you walk. The council notes it was one of Melbourne's first summer resort areas, once had a pier and public baths, and that the cliffs at the northern end attracted Heidelberg School painters including Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin. The Mentone Life Saving Club, which the council says patrols the beach, dates back to 1920.

The rules by stretch and season

Kingston publishes two foreshore maps: summer regulations for 1 November to 31 March and winter regulations for 1 April to 31 October (both marked “updated Jun 2020”). Its dog ownership page confirms the dates. North Mentone appears on both maps as a “24hr off leash area”, described as “all day off leash area on sand only”. Here is the whole Kingston coast, north to south:

Fixed dates, not daylight saving. Kingston switches on 1 November and 1 April regardless of the clocks. “Sunrise” moves through the season, so an early summer walk south of Plummer Road can start earlier in December than in March. The 10am cut-off does not move.

Why North Mentone matters in summer. From 10am to 7.30pm between November and March, every other stretch of Kingston sand is closed to dogs. That leaves the Charman Road to Plummer Road stretch as the only Kingston beach where a dog can cool off in the afternoon. It is a short stretch, so expect it to be busy on hot days.

Every map carries the same reminder: “Dogs must be on leash before reaching off-leash areas, and must be under effective control at all times.” Read the signs at each beach entrance, because a sign on the day overrides any map or web page, including this one.

Getting there and parking

Driving. Everything is reached from Beach Road. The council's Mentone Beach page lists car parks and accessible parking in the precinct without naming each one. Its beaches page names the Dixon St Beach car park as a ticketed car park overlooking the beach, with stair access to Mentone beach and Seagull Rock, plus an accessible shower, change room, baby change and toilets. Dixon Street is south-east of Plummer Road, so those stairs land you on the seasonal stretch: walk north-west along the beach to reach the 24-hour area, keeping your dog on a lead until you get there in summer.

Parking rules and fees change, so read the signs and ticket machines where you stop rather than relying on any web page. Kingston's off-lead rules do not extend to car parks or paths, so the lead stays on until your dog's feet are on the sand.

Public transport. SLS Beachsafe lists train and bus services among the facilities for Mentone beach. Plan the exact route with the PTV journey planner, and check PTV's rules on travelling with a dog before you go. Expect an on-lead walk from the station or stop to the beach.

What Mentone is like for a dog

Bay waves, not surf. Mentone faces Port Phillip Bay, not the open ocean. SLS Beachsafe describes the beach as 1.6 kilometres long, curving round to face the south-west, with Table Rock Point to the west giving some shelter from west and north-westerly wind and waves. It gives Mentone a general hazard rating of 3 out of 10 and lists topographic rips and wind among its hazards.

Shallow bars. Beachsafe says the double sand bars that run up the coast from Frankston turn, at Mentone, into a series of shallow bars running out from the shore, and that at low tide even low waves break on them. For dogs that means a lot of wading water at low tide. It also means a dog can wander a long way out while still standing, so keep an eye on how far it goes.

Bluffs, a seawall and groynes. The same Beachsafe page describes 20-metre bluffs behind the beach, now stabilised and vegetated, with a seawall along their base topped by a promenade. It says the beach was nourished with sand in the 1970s and 80s and that several rock groynes were placed across it, which can make the shoreline uneven. The groynes are useful landmarks, but keep dogs off the rocks, which can be slippery.

Facilities. The council lists toilets, showers, drinking fountains, picnic tables, shelters, barbecues, seating, a playground, outdoor gym equipment and bike stands at Mentone Beach, plus the Bay Trail, a concrete path the council describes as decorated with mosaics. The Bay Trail is a shared path, so dogs must be on a lead there. Bring your own water and a bowl anyway; a dog that drinks seawater can get an upset stomach.

Rules on the day

These come from the City of Kingston's dog ownership page and its foreshore maps:

• Lead on everywhere except the signed off-lead sand. Kingston says dogs must stay on a leash in all public spaces except designated off-leash areas, and must always be on a leash on bike tracks and footpaths, including the paths along the foreshore reserve.
• Lead on before you reach the sand. Every foreshore map says dogs must be on a leash before reaching off-leash areas.
• Stay in control. You must remain in control of your dog, supervise it closely, be able to put the lead back on if needed, and not let it cause a problem or threaten other people or animals.
• Carry a bag. Kingston's Local Laws require dog owners to carry a plastic bag and produce it if an authorised officer asks. The council says free biodegradable bags are available at its customer service centres and selected reserves.
• Not the waterways. Kingston says canals and waterways are not off-leash areas.
• Greyhounds stay on lead. Under section 27 of the Domestic Animals Act 1994 a pet greyhound must be on a lead in public, and council off-lead areas are not an exception. Agriculture Victoria lists the few exceptions.

For questions about the beach rules, Kingston's dog ownership page gives its Customer Care number, 1300 653 356.

Safety at Mentone dog beach

Heat and hot sand. Because North Mentone is the Kingston beach open to dogs at midday in summer, it is the one where heat matters most. Melbourne summers bring heatwave days above 40 degrees, 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. 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 looks murky. Check the EPA Beach Report, which forecasts water quality at 36 bay beaches twice a day, and rinse your dog with fresh water afterwards.

Rips and wind. Beachsafe lists topographic rips at Mentone, which form around sand bars and groynes. Bay waves are smaller than ocean surf, but a dog swimming out after a ball on a windy day can still tire. Throw along the beach, not out to sea.

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 at Mentone. 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. A short, popular stretch means lots of dogs in a small space. Call your dog away from a group that looks tense, and leave toys and food your dog guards at home.

Other dog beaches near Mentone

For every bay council's times in one table, see our guide to all Melbourne dog beaches. The closest options:

• Ricketts Point, Beaumaris (Bayside). Just north-west. Bayside City Council lists the stretch from McGregor Avenue to Beaumaris Yacht Club as off-lead at all times, all year. It is inside a marine sanctuary, and Bayside bans dogs from the intertidal rocky platforms and seagrass beds at all times.
• Parkdale and Mordialloc (Kingston). South-east of Plummer Road to Bay Street: off-lead sunrise to 10am in summer, and off-lead outside 11am to 3pm in winter. Then the No Dog Zone from Bay Street to Mordialloc Creek.
• Aspendale to Carrum (Kingston). Kilometres of flat sand with the same times as Parkdale. The southern end of Carrum, from the Old Post Office Lane car park to Osprey Lane, is off-lead from 7.30pm to 10am in summer.
• Sandown Street Beach, Brighton (Bayside). Off-lead all day, every day. Our Brighton dog beach guide has the boundary.

For grass rather than sand, Kingston lists four sites with dog exercise equipment: Bicentennial Park in Chelsea, Kevin Hayes Reserve in Mordialloc, Kingston Heath in Cheltenham and Bald Hill Park in Clayton South. Our Melbourne dog parks guide covers more.

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

It can be, once your dog is ready, and the 24-hour status helps. Because there is no clock, you can choose the quietest possible time for a first visit instead of squeezing into a busy early-morning window. The water is bay water, shallow for a long way at low tide, which suits a first paddle. The cautions are that it is unfenced, short and popular, so a new dog meets a lot of other dogs quickly.

1. Visit on a lead first, early on a weekday, and watch how your dog copes with other dogs coming up to it.
2. Use winter if you can. From April to October more Kingston sand is open for longer, so the dogs spread out and Mentone is calmer.
3. Use a long line for the first swims, so your dog cannot wade out of reach across the shallow bars.
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 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. If your dog does slip away, our Melbourne lost pets page shows what to do first.

Across the Melbourne shelters and rescues we list, many dog profiles say how the dog does with other dogs. If weekend beach trips are part of your plan, filter for dog-social adults and ask the rescue about recall before you meet.

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