The city of Stonnington commitment to deliver well-designed, quality green spaces was on display this week when its first purpose-built dog park opened in South Yarra.
The new Thomas Oval Dog Park, conveniently located right next to the popular Yarra Trail, welcomed its first four-legged visitors on Sunday 9 October when it was officially opened by Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, the Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio and City of Stonnington Mayor Cr Jami Klisaris.
The City of Stonnington partnered with the Victorian Government to build the park, with funding coming from a $275,000 Victorian Government Suburban Parks Program grant, and $700,000 from Council.
The dog park takes in a large portion of Thomas Oval, a previously under-utilised area of open space that sits above Como Park north.
Accessible via a wooden boardwalk from Alexandra Avenue, and stairs from Como Park the fully fenced dog park has been cleverly designed with a large undulating lawn area and nature play elements for the dogs to explore.
The dog park is divided into two distinct spaces, the larger of which is for active, energetic dogs who love to run and explore, and a smaller fenced area set aside for older, quieter dogs who prefer a more relaxed park experience.
The Thomas Oval Dog Park is another example of Stonnington Council's investment in local park projects. In the area immediately surrounding the new dog park alone, more than $6m has been spent in recent years to redevelop Como Park, rehabilitate the Yarra River corridor, upgrade the Yarra Trail and build the new dog park.
With one of the lowest areas of open space of any Victorian local government the City of Stonnington will continue to invest in its existing parks and open spaces and act on opportunities to develop new parks.
Quote attributable to City of Stonnington Mayor, Cr Jami Klisaris
"It's an exciting day for the Stonnington community as we open our very first purpose-built dog park.
"We know that people who live in Stonnington love their pets and with over 8,000 dogs registered across the city, Thomas Oval is sure to become a popular meeting place for dogs from across the municipality and beyond.
"I look forward to visiting the park with my dogs and seeing others enjoying the space.
