Woden Town Centre residents want their own dog park. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
A dog park in the Woden Town Centre?
Some might say you’d have to be barking mad to think that was possible.
After all, it’s not something that most would consider happening in one of Canberra’s densest urban areas.
But that is the point, according to Murrumbidgee MLA Fiona Carrick, who introduced a motion in the Legislative Assembly calling on the ACT Government to investigate options for dog park sites in the Woden Town Centre and the new and growing district of Molonglo Valley.
She said the government had forecast the population of Phillip to reach 19,000 by 2065, many living in apartment towers and many with pets, thanks to laws allowing them in multi-unit developments.
That meant a fast-rising dog population would need to be catered for.
Ms Carrick said Woden dog owners had been pressing her to urge the government to provide a secure, fenced dog park in the area, as have residents in Molonglo, where there is also a high proportion of apartments and townhouses.
She said residents in the Town Centre used the cycle path to walk their dogs, which meant they had to be on-leash and could not run.
“But you’re mixing dogs on leashes and pedestrians and cyclists, which go really fast because it’s the main north-south arterial,” she said
The nearest dog parks are Duffy and Yarralumla, but that required a car trip, and many apartment dwellers did not have a vehicle, which was becoming more common as the government encouraged development near public transport.
There were also nearby ovals where dogs could run off-leash, but these were unfenced areas that could not provide the security and amenity of a dedicated dog park, Ms Carrick said.
So, in an area where land is at a premium, what open space left could serve as a dog park within walking distance?
Fiona Carrick says the dog population is exploding in Woden. MLA. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Ms Carrick identified land in Eddison Park adjacent to the athletics park, areas near the big roundabout on Yarra Glen and Yamba Drive and land on Athllon Drive south of Hindmarsh Drive.
There is also the large open space in Lyons on Launceston Street.
Ms Carrick acknowledged keen competition with development for these spaces, but said new housing still needed amenities.
“This needs to be done in conjunction with proper town planning,” she said.
“I’m not anti-development. I just want a balance.”
Ms Carrick said Molonglo might be a new area, but that meant the government should be able to easily identify and set aside land for a dog park.
She told the Assembly on Tuesday that the benefits of an off-leash dog park were well-documented.
“For dogs, these parks provide essential opportunities for exercise, socialisation, mental stimulation, and behaviour improvement,” Ms Carrick said.
“For people, they offer a chance to meet neighbours, strengthen social bonds, train their pets, and enjoy stress relief in a convenient and welcoming environment.”
In supporting the motion, City Services Minister Tara Cheyne told the Assembly that the government’s priority was its election promise of investigating site options in the Inner South.
But with that work underway, the government could now turn its attention to Woden and Molonglo.
Ms Cheyne said building new facilities was not something that could happen overnight, but the government could commit to investigating options and being transparent about them.
The Greens and the Liberals also supported the motion.
The government will report back to the Assembly by June 2026.
