Walk Off-leash in parts Highly confident, dog friendly

Knocklofty Reserve

West Hobart, TAS 7000

Bushland tracks minutes from central Hobart, with a generous daytime off-lead zone above West Hobart.

The Guide's rating

The rules, in short

Before you go

Dogs may be off lead in the designated area bounded by the Forest Road car park, Poets Road, the Fielding Drive reservoir and the walking track to the west, within set daytime hours. Every other track and trail in the reserve is on lead at all times, and dogs are excluded from areas set aside as sensitive wildlife habitat.

Off lead in the designated area between 6am and 8pm during daylight saving, and between 7am and 5pm the rest of the year. Outside those hours dogs must be on lead even inside that zone. All other tracks in the reserve are on lead year round.

When: Any time Open daily. The off-lead window shifts between summer and winter hours, as set by the City of Hobart.
Cost: Free
The walk: Easy to moderate. Mostly fire trail and single track with a steady climb towards the summit, and the distance depends on which loop you link together.

Worth knowing before you arrive

The off-lead zone is only part of the reserve, so read the signs at the entrance before unclipping
Off-lead hours change with daylight saving, and a dog off lead outside those hours is in breach
Nothing is fenced and some boundaries sit close to suburban streets
Parts of the reserve are sensitive wildlife habitat where dogs are not permitted
Shared with walkers and riders, so recall needs to be genuine

About Knocklofty Reserve

Knocklofty sits on the wooded hill behind West Hobart, close enough to the city that locals treat it as a before-work dog walk. A network of fire trails and narrower footpads climbs through dry eucalypt bush to open ground with views over the Derwent and back towards kunanyi. The City of Hobart has declared part of the reserve an off-lead area during daylight hours, which makes it one of the easiest places near town to let a reliable dog stretch out on a proper hill. It is council land rather than a national park, which is why dogs are permitted here at all. The ground is uneven and the climbing is steady, so it rewards dogs that are fit and people who do not mind a bit of a haul.

Which dogs it suits

Small Medium Large Giant

A generous, clearly defined off-lead area on real bushland tracks, three kilometres from the CBD, documented precisely by the council. Marked down slightly because the off-lead zone covers only part of the reserve and the hours catch people out.

What is there

Off-lead area
Parking
Shade

Best for

daily off-lead exercise close to the city hill fitness for energetic dogs quiet weekday morning walks views over Hobart and the Derwent

Getting around

Vehicle access and parking at the Forest Road entrance in West Hobart, with further entry points at Poets Road, Bimbadeen Court, Weerona Avenue and Mount Stuart Road. Tracks themselves are unsealed bushland with uneven surfaces and gradients, so not suited to wheelchairs or prams.

What members say

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Welcome

Space

Amenities

Safety

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How dog friendly was it? required

Anything more specific? optional

Welcome

Did staff and other visitors make you feel your dog belonged there?

Space

Was there room for a dog without being underfoot?

Amenities

Water, shade, somewhere to tie up, bins for bags.

Safety

Traffic, fencing, other dogs, hazards underfoot.

Which size dogs did you bring?

What should other people know? When did you visit?

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The details

Website: Official page
Coordinates: -42.8879, 147.3025

Highly confident, dog friendly

The dog rules come from official pages, and we checked it this month.

4 sources

Official City of Hobart dog exercise areas Confirms: The off-lead boundaries at Knocklofty Reserve (Forest Road car park, Poets Road, Fielding Drive reservoir, western walking track) and the seasonal off-lead hours of 6am to 8pm in daylight saving and 7am to 5pm otherwise, with all other tracks on lead at all times.
Official City of Hobart reserve page for Knocklofty Confirms: Access via Forest Road, West Hobart 7000, the presence of walking tracks, picnic tables, seating, shade and bins, and that dogs are prohibited in sensitive wildlife habitat outside the permitted area.
Community Friends of Knocklofty visitor page Confirms: The five entry points by car or bike: Forest Road and Poets Road and Bimbadeen Court in West Hobart, and Weerona Avenue and Mount Stuart Road in Mount Stuart, with ample parking at the Forest Road entrance.
Community OpenStreetMap via Nominatim Confirms: The coordinates used for the pin, from the mapped Knocklofty Reserve Picnic Area feature.

Last checked 20 September 2026. Rules change, and seasonal beach rules change twice a year, so check with the land manager or the venue before you travel.

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