Monier Park Road, Darra deemed safe for kids but not for dogs

A rubbish tip-turned park southwest of Brisbane has been deemed safe for children to play on but not for dogs, sparking concern among locals. 

A rubbish tip-turned park southwest of Brisbane has been deemed safe for children to use but not for dogs, sparking concern among locals.

Sinnamon Park local Kerrie Bolte said she and several other community members contacted the local council a few months ago, requesting to change Monier Road Park in Darra into an off-leash area for dogs.

The outdoor area, formerly used as a landfill site, had been transformed into a large park with a BMX facility, opening in 2019.

“It is hardly used by anyone and – the section where we want to walk our dogs – is quite a fair way from the BMX facility,” Ms Bolte explained. 

“As the government has been issuing fines for anyone who walked their dog off the leash in non-designated areas, a few of us went to our councillor, Sarah Hutton, to see if we could request that area as somewhere to walk our dogs off the leash.”

Reed Buckley, at Monier Road Park where the council says they can not put in a dog park. Picture: Steve Pohlner

After contacting the Jamboree Ward, Ms Bolte received a response from Cr Hutton rejecting the request. 

But the reason provided for rejecting an off-leash dog area sounded the alarm for Ms Bolte. 

“The identified area in Monier Road Park is designated for District General Outdoor Sports,” Cr Hutton’s response to Ms Bolte read.

“This classification ensures that activities within the space align with its intended purpose. According to the City Plan 2014 (Table 4.4.3.1.5), Dog Off Leash Areas (DOLA) are not a desired embellishment for spaces classified as outdoor sports areas.

The council says they can not put in a dog park because there is only 5cm of coverage in places covering the old tip. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“The proposed site also has minimal capping over the historic waste pile, with some areas having as little as 5cm of cover.

“Council’s standards require a minimum capping depth of 30cm for use as a DOLAs.

“Addressing this issue would require significant remediation work which would come at a considerable cost. As such, this location is not considered suitable for a fenced or unfenced DOLA.”

Ms Bolte said she “had to read the email three times” because she was shocked by the councillor’s response. 

“The obvious issue is how can the council say that the area is unsafe for dogs but apparently is OK for children to play sports on? Absolutely ludicrous and nonsensical,” Ms Bolte said. 

“If it’s so unsafe because of its former life as a rubbish dump how did it get designated as a sports field in the first place? None of it makes any sense.

Monier Road Park. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“Even now, the park has heaps of holes and it has spots of uneven ground – which makes you concerned even more if there is only 5cm of covering.”

When asked about the safety of the park for children, Cr Hutton said Monier Road Park was a great place to kick a ball around, but it was not suitable for dogs who liked to dig deep holes in the dirt. 

“Our parks are the perfect place to enjoy Brisbane’s incredible lifestyle and I’m proud of what the Schrinner Council has invested to make them even better,” Cr Hutton said.

“The good news is, there are five dog parks within walking distance of Monier Road Park so there are plenty of other places for dogs and their owners to enjoy our fantastic lifestyle.”