Victoria Will Soon Be Home to 33 New Dog Parks for Extra Pup Playtime

That pup of yours (or that pup you've been thinking about getting) is about to score a whole bunch of new places to sniff, socialise and play, with the Victorian Government announcing plans to create 33 new dog parks across the state.

After revealing funding for an initial batch of new green spaces in the first round of the Government's $154 million Suburban Parks Program — which covered 16 sites for your pooch — the state's powers that be have announced that number will be boosted by 17, this time via $2.5 million from the Government's Building Works package.

For your pupper, that's a hefty increase in off-leash areas, both in Melbourne and throughout the rest of the state. Locally, the newly announced dog parks will be in the outer suburbs — in Pakenham, Carrum Downs, Dandenong North, Eynesbury, Belgrave, Mill Park and Altona. The Mill Park site is due to open in the coming months, while the rest are either in the works or slated to start construction by the end of the year.

They'll join sites in Carrum, Cranbourne East and Rowville in Melbourne's south; South Yarra in the east; Eltham North and Mickleham in the north; and Maribyrnong, Cairnlea and Werribee in the west, all of which are set to open from 2021.

Regional areas such as Ararat, Buninyong, Yarragon, Portland, Kilmore, Belmont, Shepparton, Mildura, Swan Hill and Warracknabeal will also receive new dog parks as part of the just-revealed announcement.

In total, the Suburban Parks Program will create total of 6500 hectares of new parkland, walking trails and bike trails across the city. Announcing the news this week, on Wednesday, August 26, Victorian Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio noted how important parks are to Melbourne neighbourhoods. "Now more than ever, we realise the value of having open green space close to where we live. These dog parks are not only important for pet owners — building them will create local jobs and boost local businesses as re rebuild from the pandemic," she said.

According to the Government, the locations have been chosen based on accessibility by public transport, road or walking and biking trails, as well looking at what dense, urban areas were lacking green open spaces.

A heap of new pocket parks will also be created in Melbourne — 25, in fact — popping up everywhere from Flemington to Moorabbin, as well as fringe suburbs such as Officer, Clyde, Craigieburn, South Morang and Sunbury.

New pocket and dog parks projects to be funded under the Suburban Parks Program via the Victorian Government