Manly beach to be trialled as off-leash dog zone

It’s been an unofficial off-leash area for years, but now dogs will be able to legally roam free as part of a trial at a popular beach east of Brisbane.

Manly West resident Trish Szilagyi and Toby welcomed the trial of a designated off-leash area at the beach.

DOG walkers have been given the green light to ditch the leash as part of a year-long trial at a popular bayside beach.

Brisbane City Council has announced that from September, the beach at the end of Davenport Drive, Manly will be a designated off-leash area.

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The news was welcomed by hundreds of bayside dog walkers, including Trish Szilagyi, who have been requesting the council establish such a beach for years.

Trish Szilagyi with Toby at the soon-to-be official dog beach. Picture: Danielle Buckley

The Manly West resident has been bringing her border collie Toby to the beach since 2016 and said it is his “favourite place in the world”.

“I’m a big fan of the (trial) idea,” she said.

“As long as newcomers remember to look after their dogs. But the dogs that come here are always really well-behaved.”

The nearest dog beach to Manly is Cleveland, about 20 minutes drive away.

Last year, a petition to make the off-leash area official was quashed by Brisbane City Council following environmental concerns and state verse council turf issues.

This month, opposing petitions have been launched with some 1000 supporters campaigning for the beach to be a designated off-leash area — while another one, started by resident Derek May and calling for leashes to be enforced and more policing, is also gaining traction.

Mr May stressed that the beach is regularly used by windsurfers, kite surfers and fishermen and he has seen “uncontrolled dogs” disturbing and damaging water sport equipment.

The beach is used by many people enjoying water sports. Picture: Richard Walker

“Clearly uncontrolled dogs off leash are not compatible and possibly dangerous to other users of leisure areas,” he wrote online.

Queensland Wader Study Group chairman David Edwards said the off-leash area would also cause a disturbance to thousands of migratory shorebirds.

“Our big concern is an off-leash area is an invasion of the foreshore,” he said.

“I think we’re really concerned that once it starts, it’s going to be difficult to put it back in the bottle.”

Wynnum Manly councillor Peter Cumming said while residents caught without their pooches on a leash previously faced fines of $266, the area had not been heavily enforced by the council for almost a decade.

“This area has been a de facto off leash swimming area for some years,” Cr Cumming said.

“Local dog owners will be very supportive (of the trial), but environmentalists, wind surfers and board riders are likely to oppose.”

Cr Cumming said he was keen to hear local feedback on the location of the dog park, which he would present to Council after the 12-month trial.