The Best Dog Parks in Bondi

words by alex robertson

For a suburb populated by mainly by apartment blocks with no backyards, you will be surprised how many people in Bondi manage to have fur babies, that being said it makes for a very high demand for dog parks.

As a proud fur baby owner of two naughty cattle dog pups, I have made it my mission to find the best spots for your pooch to stretch its legs and enjoy running freely for those couple of hours a day.

For those of you that are familiar with the dog park scene, you know what a strange mix of humans they bring together. You’ve got Davo with his cheesy pick-up lines and his two staffies Blaze & Marcho; Neurotic Martha with her Pomeranian Betsy; Oversharing Carmen with her whippet Lucy and old Bob with his 2 Jack Russell’s, Jack & Russell.

So many walks of life all brought together for the joy of those furry friends that adore you so much, also so they don’t chew all the tassels off your new couch pillows and annihilate the leg off yet another chair.

From my research and many hours of chatting with strange dog park folk, I found these to be the best places to take your furry friends around the bubble:

Marks Park, South Bondi.
Perched on the headland at South Bondi just before you reach Tamarama you will find Marks Park. There are a few reasons why Marks makes the cut– it’s the largest area for your doggos to have a really good run around while you get to enjoy the insanely beautiful view. It’s set on an extremely quiet street for your own peace of mind, there are multiple taps with doggy bowls, great bushes for hide & seek and the regular dog park folk seem to be the most “normal” among the Bondi dog parks.

The Water Tower @ Waverley Park.
For all you Bondi Junction/South Bondi folk, Waverley Park is a wonderland of leafy tracks and never ending sticks for your dog-legged friend. For the first couple of months of visiting Waverley I was just aware of the playing fields but little did I know if you walk up the hill passed the basketball courts and up to the water tower, where there is a world of fun to be had for you and your pooch and the best part is it’s all an off lead area. The grass around the water tower is usually where the dog park posse congregates but if you head down the hill towards Bondi Road you will find stick heaven – a hillside of trees, tracks and many, many STICKSSS!

Bronte Park, Bronte.
My newest and most exciting discovery – This doggy heaven is not just for your fur babies pleasure but for your own. Nestled in the trees at the back of Bronte Park you will find what we like to call Puppy Paradise. This off-leash area looks like something straight out of Fern Gully – Surrounded by palm trees, rocky trails, the ultimate hiding spots and to top it all off a massive waterfall that all the pups play in the bottom of.