Northern Beaches Council is proposing to extend the Mona Vale Beach off-leash dog trial for a further 12 months to 13 October 2027, as it assesses the results of the first year of what was a historic first for the Northern Beaches.
The trial, which commenced on 14 October 2025 on the southern end of Mona Vale Beach, was due to conclude on 13 October 2026.
Council says an extension will allow dogs to continue accessing the beach while the initial 12-month period is assessed, avoiding disruption to the community that would result from pausing it. The current trial rules, including time restrictions and the trial area, would remain unchanged.
The trial was approved by Northern Beaches Council in August 2025, with all but four councillors voting in favour. Three Greens councillors cited environmental concerns, saying studies had not been thorough enough to warrant approval. Independent Manly councillor Candy Bingham was strongly opposed to permitting dogs on what she described as “pristine beaches,” drawing on a personal experience at a dog beach in Byron Bay where she encountered off-leash dogs outside permitted hours, waste bags left in bushes, and dogs fouling her belongings.
The trial required more than $50,000 spent on fencing to protect vegetation and dunes, and a further $7,000 on signage, dog waste bags and dispensers.
When it launched on 14 October 2025, scores of people made their way to the southern end of Mona Vale Beach from as early as 5am. Some had driven from across the Northern Beaches to be there. One Manly woman said she had previously made the trip to Clontarf for dog-friendly beach access but had driven up that morning simply to show her support.
“This is amazing. We’ve waited so long for it,” she said. “We hope everybody abides by the rules. We’re just ecstatic.”
The trial was the culmination of more than a decade of advocacy. Michele Robertson of Pittwater Unleashed said she had been fighting for ocean access for dogs for 11 and a half years.
“World War II lasted five years, it’s taken us 12 years to get this far,” she said of the trial’s eventual approval.
The push for dog beach access had been spurred in part by a lack of suitable alternatives. There are 30 off-leash areas in the local government area, only four of which have access to a body of water. Half of those are heavily polluted. None provides ocean access.
The trial operates between 5.30am and 10am and 5pm and 9pm during daylight saving time, and 6am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm during AEST, on the south side of Mona Vale Beach only. Fines of up to $330 apply for breaches.
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