Buses, dogs, and park hours around Heatherton Park

Heatherton Park sits in a green wedge with no railway station of its own. The Kingston Green Wedge Management Plan 2023 records that the green wedge is about 3 kilometres from the Frankston and Dandenong lines, and it calls the public transport through it relatively poor and inconsistent, in need of upgrading to serve the area.

Only a few bus routes run through the green wedge, the plan says, and it lists these:

• Route 631 travels between Southland and Waverley Gardens, by way of Clayton and Monash University.
• Route 705 runs between Mordialloc and Springvale, through Braeside and Clayton South.
• Route 811 runs between Dandenong and Brighton, by way of Heatherton Road and Springvale.
• Route 812 runs between Dandenong and Brighton, by way of the Parkmore Shopping Centre.

Two SmartBus routes serve the green wedge, the plan records: one down the western side along Warrigal Road, and one through Springvale Road on the east.

The plan is plain about what that means for a day out. Most recreational areas and facilities are not easy to reach by public transport, it says, because the bus routes do not put stops or infrastructure close to recreational destinations.

Parks Victoria gives Karkarook Park’s address as Warrigal Road, Moorabbin, at the corner of Warrigal Road and Fairchild Street, in the middle of an industrial and commercial hub.

Elder Street South Reserve has a car park off Elder Street South, and among the reserve’s facilities are picnic areas, seating, a shelter, a toilet and water.

The chain is being joined up on foot and by bike as well. Two road projects have added to it: the 2023 plan records that the Dingley Bypass and the Mordialloc Freeway gave the council the chance to secure extra linear parkland between Karkarook Park and Braeside Park.

In the record of what the council has done for the chain since it adopted its first green wedge plan, the same plan lists upgrades to the Barkers and Henry Street trails, and a cycling path laid along Old Dandenong Road.

One Kingston rule covers walking and riding at once: a dog has to be leashed at all times on footpaths and bike tracks, and the council adds that the paths along the foreshore reserve are included.

Kingston’s dog rules begin with the leash. The council’s rule is that dogs must stay on a leash in public spaces, except for designated off leash areas, and it adds that canals and waterways are not off leash areas.

Kingston lists what a dog owner has to do:

• stay in control of the dog
• supervise the dog closely, and be able to put a leash on it when it is needed
• not let the dog cause a problem or threaten other people or animals

Owners have to clean up after their dog and carry a bag that can be shown to an authorised officer if asked, and the council sets that out as a requirement under its local laws. It keeps free biodegradable dog-litter bags at its customer service centres and at some reserves around Kingston.

Two of the parks set ground aside for dogs to run: a fenced off-leash dog park at Spring Road Reserve, and an off lead dog area at Heatherton Park itself.

The vehicle gates to the park are open between dawn and dusk all year round. Pedestrian access is always available.

Dogs must remain on a leash, except in the designated off-leash area. Dogs are not allowed in the Dragonfly playground.

The Lake Trail, which goes all the way around the lake, is a shared trail for walkers, cyclists, joggers and dogs on leads.

Non-powered vessels including canoes, kayaks and single-hulled sailboats (under five metres) are permitted on the lake, and vessels must be launched, landed, loaded and unloaded from the boat ramp.

The 2023 determination that sets aside parts of the Sandbelt Parklands, Karkarook Park among them, adds one more line for the water: diving, swimming and wading are not allowed in the area it sets aside, which it gives as the park’s lake and wetland.

Fires, charcoal and solid fuel barbecues are not permitted at any time.

All native plants and animals are protected.

The visitor guide carries one more notice for anyone walking there: snakes live in this park, be aware and keep your distance.

The park’s own visitor guide gives this line for an emergency: For emergency assistance call Triple Zero (000). If there is a green emergency marker sign near you, read the information on the marker to the operator. Karkarook Park is in the Central fire district.

Parks Victoria gives the park’s hours in two lines:

Braeside Park is open from sunrise to sunset. One-way spikes at the Lower Dandenong Road exit allow you to enjoy the park and leave at your leisure.

The Governor Road entrance closes at 4pm daily.

Heatherton Park and the two reserves beside it are the City of Kingston’s, and Karkarook Park and Braeside Park are Parks Victoria’s, which owns and manages both. The council’s page for Heatherton Park sets out the playground, the facilities and the address, and gives no opening hours, so the hours below are the two Parks Victoria parks’.