Walks

The best walks in the Brisbane Bayside with a little dog (Ros's list)

Every walk I do with the pack, suburb by suburb, in one table: where it is, how shady it is, which council, and whether there's a fenced yard for the little ones nearby.

Roslyn, runs Oodles of Paws from her home in Lota 21 September 2026 5 min read

Ros and some of the pack

I've walked a small pack of little ones around the Bayside most weekdays for years, from Wynnum down to Birkdale. This is the list: every walk I'd send a family on, suburb by suburb, with the honest notes on shade and where the little ones can run.

One table, then the detail. Each suburb has its own post if you want more.

Two councils, one rule

The Bayside is split. Brisbane City Council covers Wynnum, Wynnum West, Hemmant, Manly, Manly West, Lota, Wakerley and Ransome. Redland City Council covers Thorneside and Birkdale. Each has its own off-leash list and its own rules.

The rule that doesn't change: your little one is on the lead everywhere except a park on the council's own off-leash list. Every off-leash spot below is on one of those lists, checked this week. Rules change, so if you're reading this in a year, look it up again before you unclip.

The list

Suburb	The walk	Shade	Council	Nearest off-leash yard
Lota	Lota Creek Boardwalk, from Whites Road (2 km loop)	Most of the way	Brisbane	Don Randall Park — fenced, lit, small-dog yard
Lota → Manly	Foreshore path along the water	Little	Brisbane	Don Randall Park (Lota)
Manly	Harbour and the foreshore path south	Little	Brisbane	Davenport Drive beach — unfenced, hours on the sign
Manly West	Whites Road end of the Lota Creek Boardwalk	Most of the way	Brisbane	Stannard Road Park — fenced, lit, no small-dog side
Wynnum	Esplanade, wading pool to Pandanus Beach	Little	Brisbane	Elanora Park — fenced, lit, small-dog yard
Wynnum	Mangrove boardwalk, northern end	Most of the way	Brisbane	Elanora Park
Wynnum West	Sandy Camp Road Wetlands	In stretches	Brisbane	Evelyn Road Park — fenced, no lights
Hemmant	The yard is the walk	—	Brisbane	Paul Conti Park — fenced, no lights
Wakerley	A lap of the estate from Sheriff Park	Some	Brisbane	Sheriff Park — fenced, small-dog yard
Thorneside	Foreshore from the creek mouth	Little	Redland	None in Thorneside — Three Paddocks Park, Birkdale
Birkdale	Foreshore at Aquatic Paradise	Little	Redland	Three Paddocks Park — fenced, airlock, small-dog side

The walks

The Lota Creek Boardwalk (Lota and Manly West)

The one I do most. A wide timber boardwalk out over the mangroves from the end of Whites Road, then a flat track back under the gums: about two kilometres, shady most of the way, wide enough for a pram, a bike and a pup on a lead. In summer it's the walk. Lota walks · Manly West walks

The foreshore path (Wynnum, Manly, Lota)

One sealed path along the water from the Wynnum wading pool, past the jetty and Pandanus Beach, through Manly Harbour and south to Lota. About eight kilometres end to end, so everyone does a slice. Flat, breezy, almost no shade: early in summer, or not at all. Coffee at either Wynnum or Manly. Wynnum walks · Manly walks

The mangrove boardwalk (Wynnum)

At the northern end of Wynnum, a boardwalk along the creek through the mangroves. Shady, short, and the little ones love the mud smell at low tide.

Sandy Camp Road Wetlands (Wynnum West)

Flat tracks, bird hides, water on both sides. Quiet in a way the foreshore never is. Pups on the lead, and read the reserve sign at the gate. Wynnum West and Hemmant walks

The Redland foreshore (Thorneside and Birkdale)

Where Tingalpa Creek meets the bay at Thorneside, a path runs along the water past Aquatic Paradise in Birkdale and on towards Wellington Point. Flat, sealed, as long as you like. Thorneside walks · Birkdale walks

Wakerley

No creek, no foreshore, but three fenced council yards and quiet estate streets. Wakerley walks

Where the little ones can run

Four yards on the Bayside have a separate small-dog enclosure, which is the thing to look for with a cavoodle or a dachshund:

Don Randall Park, Lota (Brisbane): fully fenced, lit.
Elanora Park, Wynnum (Brisbane): fully fenced, lit.
Sheriff Park, Wakerley (Brisbane): fully fenced, no lights.
Three Paddocks Park, Birkdale (Redland): fully fenced, airlock gate.

The mixed yards, all fully fenced, no small-dog side: Stannard Road Park (Manly West, lit), Evelyn Road Park (Wynnum West), Paul Conti Park (Hemmant), Moss Road Park and Phillips Place Park (Wakerley), Lachlan Street Park (Birkdale). Kianawah Park and Robinson Park in Tingalpa are just over the line.

Two that aren't fenced: the Manly foreshore beach at the end of Davenport Drive (hours on the sign), and Aquatic Paradise Park West in Birkdale (partially fenced). With a little one, I'd treat both as walks.

Thorneside and Ransome have none.

Summer, and coffee

From October the pack walks early and in the shade: the boardwalks, the wetlands, the foreshore before seven. After dark, Don Randall and Elanora have lights. I wrote that up in the summer post.

And if the walk is really an excuse for a coffee, the cafés that don't mind a pup are at Manly Harbour and along the Wynnum front.

Key takeaways

Two councils: Brisbane City for most of the Bayside, Redland City for Thorneside and Birkdale. Two off-leash lists.
The Lota Creek Boardwalk is the shady one. The foreshore path is the long one.
Four small-dog yards: Don Randall (Lota), Elanora (Wynnum), Sheriff Park (Wakerley), Three Paddocks (Birkdale).
Everywhere else, on the lead. Check the council list before you unclip; it changes.
Summer: early, shaded, near water.

Common questions

Where is the best off-leash dog park for small dogs on the Bayside?

The four with a separate small-dog enclosure: Don Randall Park in Lota, Elanora Park in Wynnum, Sheriff Park in Wakerley, and Three Paddocks Park in Birkdale. Don Randall and Elanora also have lights.

Is there an off-leash beach on the Brisbane Bayside?

One on Brisbane City Council's list: the beach at the end of Davenport Drive, Manly, between the rock walls. It's unfenced and the hours are on the sign at the entrance. Outside that stretch, the foreshore is on-lead.

Which Bayside walk is best in summer with a small dog?

The Lota Creek Boardwalk from Whites Road: two kilometres, mostly boardwalk under the mangroves and gums, by the creek. Go early. The foreshore path has almost no shade, so it's a before-seven walk from October on.

Do you walk the day-care pack on these?

Yes, the ones near my place in Lota, most weekdays. Every pup in the pack gets picked up from your door in the morning, spends the day at my place with friends their own size, and comes home in the afternoon tired.