Sunshine Coast Dog Beaches: Exact 2026 Off-Leash Zones

The Sunshine Coast has excellent off-leash sand, but the legal zone can start beyond a car park, stop at a bathing reserve, or change with the clock and season. New rules began July 3, 2026, so choose by beach-access number and current sign rather than an old nickname or map pin.

The rule that applies everywhere

Dogs must stay leashed in public unless you are inside a designated off-leash area during its permitted time. If there is no sign confirming off-leash use, keep the leash attached, including in parking lots and along approaches to dog beaches.

Sunshine Coast Council’s current off-leash list says all posted times are indicative and site signs control. Supervise the dog, maintain voice control, prevent interference with people and wildlife, carry waste bags, and keep regulated dogs out of off-leash areas.

Best beach for your dog

• Longest-feeling run: Coolum around Stumers Creek, with a leashed transition at the car park and creek mouth.
• Simple all-day zone: Warana between Beach Access 226 and 245.
• Calmer-water option: Currimundi north of the lake mouth, without crossing the prohibited mouth.
• Early or evening walk: Bokarina or Wurtulla, where off-leash use is generally 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.
• Central coast base: Buddina Beach at Access 210 to 217 or the separate Access 198 to 201 zone.
• Wildlife-sensitive planning: Avoid the seasonal Maroochy North Shore spit closure from October through April.

“Off leash all times” describes the designated strip, not the path from your car or every neighboring dune and headland. Put the leash on before crossing a boundary, even if the next beach looks identical.

Coolum and Mount Coolum dog beaches

Stumers Creek, Beach Access 67 to 72

The Coolum off-leash zone covers Access 67 to 72 and extends along the sand around Stumers Creek. It is the strongest choice for a dog that wants room to run, but it is popular, unfenced, and mixed with creek and ocean water.

Under the July 2026 rules, dogs must be leashed through the parking area and surrounding access points until at least 33 feet beachside of the parking lot. The creek mouth remains on leash, so wait for the sign that starts the off-leash section rather than unclipping beside the cars.

A dog that bolts toward water, food, or other dogs may find Stumers Creek too stimulating. Visit at a quiet time or choose a fenced inland dog park if recall is not dependable.

Town of Seaside, Beach Access 97 to 98

The Mount Coolum zone between Wave Crescent and Merchants Parade is time limited. Council’s current listing gives off-leash windows of 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., subject to the sign.

This is useful for an early walker who wants ocean sand without the Stumers Creek crowd. Outside those windows, leash the dog or select an all-day zone rather than lingering past the cutoff.

Maroochy North Shore and Twin Waters

Dogs may exercise off leash between Beach Access 127 and 130 at Maroochy North Shore. The clearly numbered section is the reliable plan when wildlife protection closes nearby sand.

From October through April, dogs are prohibited on a roughly 1,640-foot section of the southern spit at North Shore, Twin Waters. The seasonal closure protects threatened migratory shorebirds and roosting habitat, so it is not an on-leash shortcut.

Use the council map to distinguish the year-round Access 127-to-130 zone from the separate southern-spit closure. A wide beach at low tide can make boundaries feel farther apart than they are.

Point Cartwright and Buddina

Point Cartwright, Beach Access 198 to 201

Dogs are allowed off leash at all times between Access 198 and 201 on the eastern side of Point Cartwright, south toward Gulai Street. This is the legal beach choice near the headland under the July 2026 arrangement.

Do not take dogs to Carties Beach between Access 196 and 196T, onto the rocky foreshore, into the Buddina dunes, or through prohibited parts of Point Cartwright Reserve. The council’s July 2026 dog-rule update draws those distinctions explicitly.

Point Cartwright Beach north of the headland is unpatrolled and unsafe for casual swimming, which matters even if the dog is the only one entering. Keep well away from rocks and breaking water.

Buddina Beach, Access 210 to 217

The separate Buddina Beach zone from Mawarra Street to Talinga Street, Access 210 to 217, is off leash at all times. Choose it when you want a straightforward ocean-beach run without negotiating headland rock exclusions.

Stay on the wet and dry sand inside the numbered limits and keep dogs out of dunes. Coastal vegetation is not overflow space for a crowded beach.

Warana, Bokarina, and Wurtulla

Warana, Access 226 to 245

Warana’s long all-times off-leash section runs from Access 226 to 245, from the Maloga Street area toward Blue Haven Court. This is my practical choice for owners who do not want to plan around a morning or evening clock.

The adjoining zones change at Access 245 and 247, so read the sign before continuing south. The dog’s freedom does not automatically carry across the next marker.

Bokarina, Access 245 to 247

Bokarina between Blue Haven Court and Wurley Drive uses a timed off-leash rule, generally 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. The beach is on leash outside that window unless the current sign says otherwise.

This makes Bokarina attractive for a sunrise or sunset walk, but the legal time can overlap darkness. Bring a light, reflective gear, and a lead you can clip quickly before leaving the zone.

Wurtulla, Access 247 to 249

Wurtulla continues the timed pattern from Wurley Drive toward Moondara Drive, Access 247 to 249. Its indicative off-leash hours are also 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

A continuous walk from Warana crosses from all-day permission into timed permission at Access 245. Check your watch and leash before the boundary rather than after a ranger has to point it out.

Currimundi and Ballinger Beach

North of Currimundi Lake, Access 249 to 253

The zone from Moondara Drive to Currimundi Creek, Access 249 to 253, is off leash at all times. It can provide gentler water near the lake, but busy families, paddlers, swimmers, and birds share the area.

Dogs are not allowed to cross the lake mouth between Access 253 and 254. Treat the mouth as a hard stop, not a shallow-water route to the next beach.

Ballinger Beach, Access 255 to 262

South of the gap, the Currimundi and Ballinger section from Gothic Parade toward Ann Street, Access 255 to 262, is off leash at all times. Dogs remain leashed in the parking lot, and the off-leash area starts past the beach access sign.

The July 2026 layout added a 164-foot dog-free buffer near the Dicky Beach bathing reserve. Stop at the signed buffer even if few swimmers are present.

Moffat Beach and Shelly Beach

Moffat Headland timed zone

From Access 296 to about 328 feet east of Access 275, dogs may be off leash between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. At other times they must be leashed in the allowed area, and dogs are prohibited on the rocky foreshore.

The unusual access-number direction is exactly why the site map and signs matter. Do not use the rocks as a way around a beach boundary.

Shelly Beach seasonal zone, Access 276 to 281

Shelly Beach from Russell Street toward Victoria Terrace is off leash only from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m., May through October. Outside that season or time, the off-leash permission does not apply.

The rocky Caloundra Headland area between Access 281 and 283 is dog prohibited. Leash before reaching the end of Shelly Beach and turn around rather than trying to continue over the rocks.

Beach areas that commonly cause mistakes

Most rocky foreshores now carry stronger protection, including Point Perry, Point Arkwright, Point Cartwright, Moffat Headland, and Caloundra Headland. A dog-friendly sand section beside one of these areas does not open the rocks.

Bribie Island National Park is dog prohibited, and the park boundary can reach the shoreline with tidal movement. National-park rules override the temptation to follow an empty sandbar.

Council reports that about 21.3 miles of its 29.3-mile coastline has some provision for dogs and about 10.2 miles is allocated among 12 off-leash beach locations. That still leaves on-leash and prohibited sections, so “most beaches allow dogs” is not enough information for a legal visit.

Ocean, creek, and heat safety

Use patrolled beaches for human swimming between the flags, but remember dog off-leash zones are often outside the primary patrol area. Check Beachsafe for current patrol and hazard information, then obey local flags and lifesavers.

Do not follow a dog into a rip, river mouth, or rough surf. Call emergency services and alert lifesavers, keep sight of the animal, and let trained rescuers assess the water.

Queensland sun can heat sand quickly, while humidity makes panting less effective. Use the Bureau of Meteorology’s Queensland UV forecast, walk at the cool edge of the permitted window, bring shade and fresh water, and stop before the dog shows heat stress.

Rinse salt and sand from paws and coat after the beach. Do not let dogs drink seawater or stagnant creek water, and seek veterinary advice for vomiting, wobbliness, heavy lethargy, or persistent coughing.

Off-leash does not mean uncontrolled

• Leash through every parking lot, path, playground edge, picnic area, and unsigned transition.
• Keep the dog visible and able to return on the first call.
• Move away from shorebirds and stop chasing before it begins.
• Do not allow greetings with leashed dogs unless the other handler clearly agrees.
• Carry bags even when dispensers are present and remove every dropping.
• Leave if play becomes stiff, crowded, noisy, or overwhelming.

For the larger trip, Ellie’s pet-friendly holiday planner covers accommodation permission, road breaks, food, medication, and emergency contacts. A council beach designation says nothing about a rental property’s pet rules.

Travelers comparing city systems can use the Sydney dog-beach guide or Brighton dog-beach zones. Each uses different definitions of beach access, off-leash time, and seasonal protection.

My recommendation

Choose Warana for an uncomplicated all-day stretch, Coolum for a social creek-and-ocean outing with careful transition rules, or Currimundi for access to calmer water without crossing the lake mouth. Use Bokarina, Wurtulla, Moffat, and Shelly only when their timed or seasonal windows fit exactly.

Before unclipping, match three things: the access number, the current sign, and the current time. That 30-second check is what turns a beautiful beach into a legal, low-conflict dog outing.