FAQ
- Brighton
- Sandgate
- Shorncliffe
- Nudgee Beach
- Wynnum
- Manly
- Lota
- protect environmental values, including migratory shorebirds and their habitat
- engage the community about the importance of conserving migratory shorebirds and their habitat
- provide opportunities for the community to walk their dogs off-leash on the foreshore in established areas
- ensure dogs are on-leash outside of selected off-leash areas
- engage the community about where established dog on-leash and off-leash areas are located and the importance of good dog behaviour
- maintain recreational opportunities.
What is the Brisbane foreshore?
The foreshore is the land between high and low tide water mark, with suburbs adjoining the foreshore including:
The foreshore is one of Brisbane’s most outstanding natural assets and plays a very important social and recreational role for the local and wider community.
The foreshore is managed by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Science (DES) as a marine park.
The foreshore is within the city of Brisbane local government area and Council has some jurisdiction, including the Animals Local Law. Council also has a network of popular parks and facilities that adjoin the foreshore and are used for access.
What is Moreton Bay Marine Park?
The Moreton Bay Marine Park is managed by the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), a business unit of DES, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the marine park.
The Moreton Bay Marine Park was declared in 1993 to protect its unique environmental and biodiversity values, while providing community access to the wide range of water-based recreation opportunities.
The Moreton Bay Marine Park protects a range of marine and coastal environments, stretching 125 km from Caloundra to the Gold Coast and covering 3400 km2.
Where is the Manly Foreshore Dog Off-Leash Trial?
The Manly off-leash area is on the beach at the end of Davenport Drive, between the southern rock wall and the northern rock wall and fence.
Where is the Nudgee Beach Foreshore Dog Off-Leash Trial?
The Nudgee Beach off-leash area is from the Fortitude Street carpark boat ramp, in Nudgee Beach Reserve, south to the mouth of Kedron Brook.
Where is the Sandgate Foreshore Dog Off-Leash Trial?
The Sandgate off-leash area is on the foreshore adjoining Sandgate Foreshores Park, below Lover’s Walk and Second Avenue to Zeehan Street, Shorncliffe.
What is the Foreshore Dog Off-leash Area project?
The Foreshore Dog Off-Leash Area Project is a joint project between Council, the Department of Environment and Science (DES) and the University of Queensland (UQ) to identify suitable locations for foreshore dog off-leash areas to better protect and conserve shorebirds, whilst creating recreational opportunities for dog owners.
The off-leash areas were selected using UQ research data and are considered to be in locations that would have the least impacts on shorebirds and their habitat, whilst also meeting the demand for foreshore dog off-leash areas. Dogs will need to be on-leash on the foreshore outside the foreshore dog off-leash areas, reducing disturbance to shorebirds.
This is a pilot project to implement DES guidelines to establish foreshore dog off-leash areas in marine parks. As it is a pilot project, it will be implemented as a 12-month trial which will be monitored throughout the trial period.
Who can use the foreshore dog off-leash area?
Anyone. Foreshore dog off-leash areas are shared spaces all members of the community can enjoy.
What is the purpose of the Foreshore Dog Off-leash Area project?
To establish and manage dog off-leash areas on the Brisbane foreshore to improve shorebird conservation and create new recreational opportunities for dogs and their owners.
What are the benefits of the Foreshore Dog Off-leash Area project?
Providing selected dog off-leash areas along the Brisbane foreshore provides an opportunity to:
Established dog-off leash areas along the foreshore may improve shorebird conservation by encouraging people to only walk dogs off-leash in selected areas and remain on-leash outside these areas, in turn reducing shorebird disturbance along large extents of the foreshore.
How long is the trial?
Brisbane City Council is running a foreshore dog off-leash trial from October 2019 to October 2020 at Sandgate, Nudgee Beach and Manly.
What happens after the trial?
Following Council’s 12-month trial of foreshore dog off-leash areas, monitoring information and community feedback will be reviewed to determine the success of the project and if any changes are needed.
For more information, please contact the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science on 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
What enforcement will there be during the trial?
During the trial period, voluntary compliance will be encouraged through on-site signage, as well as community education and engagement events.
Council takes the protection of migratory shorebirds very seriously. During the trial, Council’s compliance officers will use a range of regulatory options to increase rates of voluntary compliance. The inclusion of additional educational information about locations where people can walk their dogs off leash on the foreshore will complement this approach.
Council and DES have a well-established enforcement program for the foreshore patrol work which will continue through the trial period to encourage people to walk their dogs on-leash outside the off-leash areas, and help reduce impacts to other users of the foreshore and migratory shorebirds.
What are the DES guideline for foreshore dog off-leash areas?
The Queensland Government, working with Council and other stakeholders, has drafted a Guideline for Local Government dog off leash areas in state marine parks. This is in order to assist Council with planning and establishing dog off-leash areas in state marine parks.
For more information, please contact the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science on 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
What are migratory shorebirds?
Shorebirds, also known as waders, gather in large numbers on Australian coastal and inland wetlands, including the beautiful Moreton Bay. Shorebirds generally have long legs in relation to their body size, no webbing on their feet and they don’t swim.
Regardless of the time of the day, shorebirds feed according to the tide, using their long beaks to dig for worms, insects and crustaceans.
Shorebirds include both residential species, which already live here in Australia and migratory shorebirds that visit Australia from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere. Migratory shorebirds visiting Australia from Siberia, Korea, China or Japan travel along the East Asian-Australasian flyway, travelling 13,000 kilometres to reach Brisbane.
What shorebird monitoring will be occurring during the trial?
The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences has been researching and monitoring shorebirds on the Brisbane foreshore for many years and will continue monitoring shorebirds over the 2019-2020 summer, as part of the foreshore dog off-leash area project trial period.
This data will include information such as shorebird species present, habitat value and levels of disturbance. Monitoring will be carried out along the entire foreshore, including inside trial foreshore dog off-leash areas.