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Dogs are allowed on much of the NSW coastline outside national parks. In Sydney, this includes parts of the Sutherland Shire and many waterfront parks around Sydney Harbour, but not the ocean beaches in the eastern suburbs.
A Northern Beaches Council spokesperson said there were 29 off-leash dog areas in the LGA, including a new one in Avalon approved in 2019. Five have access to water, but Rowland Reserve in Bayview was the only one north of Narrabeen.
Rowland Reserve in Bayview is the only place in the northern beaches north of Narrabeen where dogs are allowed in the water.Credit:Oscar Colman
Narrabeen resident Julie Alexander said she and her fiance, Warren Bingham, took their labrador, Billie, to dog beaches on the Central Coast and would visit both trial sites, especially Mona Vale, “in a heartbeat”.
“Being able to spend time at the beach as a family, rather than needing to exercise her separately, that’s the main thing for us,” Alexander said.
Pittwater Unleashed has been campaigning for dogs on beaches for nearly a decade. The group’s president, Michele Robertson, said it was a social equity issue because dogs were family, especially for elderly residents and people without children.
“We have 22 kilometres of coastline from Warriewood to Barrenjoey and we need to find a way to share it,” Robertson said. “This is not about dogs, it’s about families.”
Pittwater Unleashed president Michele Robertson (left) with Natalie and Anthony Castellan and their dogs overlooking the proposed off-leash dog area at Palm Beach.Credit:Oscar Colman
The council reported that of the thousands of submissions on the proposed trials, 84.5 per cent were in favour, commonly citing the wellbeing and social benefits of pet ownership.
Robertson said the issue was not controversial but rather the anti-dog lobby was a vocal minority.
Yet several people told The Sydney Morning Herald they opposed dogs on beaches but asked for anonymity because they feared social reprisals for holding unpopular views.
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The topic is hotly debated on social media and group moderators frequently close comments when threads turn nasty.
Greens councillor Miranda Korzy said she knew many people felt “very intimidated by the dog lobby, which is very noisy and well organised”.
Korzy said the proposed hours for the off-leash areas – from dawn to mid-morning, and again from late afternoon to early evening – were also the main times that residents went to the beach.
However, her main concern was heeding the warning of ecologists that the entire northern beaches coastline was sensitive and under increasing urban pressure.
Korzy said the wildlife at Palm Beach included seabirds, turtles, small mammals and a seal colony at the adjoining national park.
A sunny day at Collaroy Beach last week. Dogs are not allowed on most northern beaches, but some residents flout the rules.Credit:Brook Mitchell
In 2020, the Manly Daily published images of a French bulldog harassing an Australian fur seal at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve while the owner looked on.
Korzy said the environmental report for the proposed trials was flawed because the wildlife studies occurred while there were dogs unlawfully on the beach, muddying the baseline.
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“People love their dogs and I love my dog too, but what they don’t get is that the whole environment is under incredible stress,” Korzy said.
“It’s really about what the community values. If it comes down to the fact that we’d prefer to have this introduced species than encourage the native wildlife, that will be a decision the community makes.”
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