YOU can’t just walk your dog anywhere you like in Bass Coast, regardless of whether it’s on a leash or off.
For example, it might come as a complete surprise to many to learn that between December 1 and April 30 each year, you can’t go for a stroll along ‘Lovers Walk’ in Cowes with your dog, on the shared pathway connecting The Esplanade to Stradbroke Avenue.
Between the hours of 10am and 5pm, and also between 8pm and 7am, dogs are completely prohibited in this area, on leash or not. But regardless of the rules, posted at both ends of the walking path, it remains one of the most popular locations for local residents and visitors to go for a walk with their dogs at all times of the year.
It’s not civil disobedience, it’s simply how it is… people using the pathway to walk up to the Cowes’ shops from their homes, holiday houses and other accommodation in the East Cowes area.
This anomaly and other issues relating to how Bass Coast Shire Council manages dogs, cats and other domestic animals within the shire are the subject of a four-year review of the shire’s Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) to decide the arrangements needed for 2026-2029.
Last Thursday, May 15, the shire held a meeting of its Domestic Animal Management Advisory Committee for the first time since 2016 at the Berninneit cultural centre.
In attendance were representatives of the shire, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Birdlife Australia, Friends of the Hooded Plovers group, Phillip Island Conservation Society, the Inverloch Dog Group, Friends of Surf Beach, the Phillip Island Bass Coast Dogowners Group, Coronet Bay Ratepayers Association and the shire’s dog trainers.
The meeting was supposed to be invited-only, with only registered community groups supposed to attend, but a representative of the so-called Friends of San Remo Wombats group had a seat at the table.
As much as the Friends of San Remo Wombats group say “we have no issue whatsoever with off-leash dogs on allocated beaches if the owners do the right thing”, the group has sponsored an open letter to the Bass Coast Shire Council on change.org in the form of a petition, so far signed by 671 people, calling on council to “reassess the allowance of off-leash dogs on the San Remo back beach/foreshore”.
In a Facebook post about the future of off-leash dogs on the San Remo back beach, the group has said that if rule-breakers allow their off-leash dogs to continue “visiting wombat burrows” and putting wildlife at risk, council should consider taking away all off-leash privileges from them and also those doing the right thing.
It's exactly the situation that the Phillip Island Bass Coast Dogowners Group don’t want to see.
According to the group’s president Cheryl Owens, the group has a simple three-point plan; reduce all restrictions on the shire’s off-leash dog beaches to the period between December 15 and January 31, add a new off-leash dog beach exercise area at Cape Woolamai between the Grollo Estate and the Phillip Island Bridge, and retain all existing off-leash and on-leash exercise areas for dogs.
“It was refreshing to hear the representative of Birdlife Australia saying that a dog on-leash presents no more risks than a person walking on the beach,” said Cheryl Owens.
“We also heard that the number of registered dogs in Bass Coast has risen by 26.2% since the last review of the DAMP. The percentage of dog ownership by households in Bass Coast is significant and we need more places for people to walk with their dogs, not less.”
And Ms Owens said the council shouldn’t be wasting time trying to put new dog parks where they’re not wanted.
“The people of Rhyll don’t want a dog park, and we never asked for it. No one wants a dog park at Rhyll so why waste money, time and effort pursuing it. Move on to places where people want them and they’re needed.”
Ms Owens said she supported the initiative for an additional dog park at Inverloch.
“They’ve got a good one on the Inlet side but they desperately need another one.”
Of course, the Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) isn’t only about dogs. It’s also about controls on cats including the recently introduced rules on cat containment.
If you’d like to have your say, go to the Engage Bass Coast website https://engage.basscoast.vic.gov.au/DAMP and consider filling out the survey which is open until June 9 and has already attracted hundreds of responses.
You can also attend one of the shire’s pop-up DAMP sessions and have a chat to the council in person, including on:
- Tuesday, May 20, 2025 12 noon to 2pm at the Berninneit Arts and Cultural Centre, Cowes
- Thursday, May 29, 2025 3pm to 5pm Inverloch Community Centre
- Monday, June 2, 2025 4pm to 6pm Wonthaggi Plaza
- Thursday, June 5, 2025 10am to 12 noon Corinella & District Community Centre.
