THE City of Wanneroo will undertake community consultation on potential dog beach locations for Two Rocks, Alkimos and Mindarie after completing detailed site assessments and gaining council approval to advertise four beach localities for 42 days.
One of the localities is a proposed extension to the existing dog beach in Two Rocks while the other three if are potential new dog beach locations.
The consultation does not include any cost estimates for any of the locations but on July 14 the city said during the consultation period it would continue financial analysis of both the capital and ongoing operational costs associated with each option.
Following the consultation period the city said it would review all feedback and prepare a recommendation/s for the council to consider.
Yanchep News Online understands that depending on the outcomes of the consultation, the council could choose to approve some or all of the proposed locations.
Locality 1 is Clayton’s beach, Mindarie between Alexandria View (north) and Peaceful View, locality 2 is South Mindarie with access from Peaceful View to the southern boundary of Mindarie, locality 3 is from the southern end of the existing dog beach to the southern Two Rocks access and locality 4 is about 200m south of the Shorehaven coastal node and running south for about 800m.
The officer’s report said the detailed site assessments included existing infrastructure, topography and universal access, anticipated residential growth and dog registration numbers along with historic shoreline movement trends to determine coastal erosion processes in accordance with MP Rogers & Associates coastal vulnerability study and hazard report part 1, November 2015.
The assessment also included safety risks evaluated through the coastal aquatic risk assessment (CARA) reports for Two Rocks, Mindarie, and Alkimos, occurrence of sea wrack (seaweed), foreshore rehabilitation and recreation activities at the existing beaches such as swimming, surfing, fishing and four-wheel driving.
The officer’s report said swimming at locality 1 Clayton’s beach, Mindarie between Alexandria View (north) and Peaceful View was discouraged due to strong currents and rips as identified in a CARA report prepared by SLSWA in 2014 but was investigated for a potential dog beach due to the city receiving feedback from the community that some residents allowed their dogs to be off leash at this beach.
Locality 2 at South Mindarie with access from Peaceful View to the southern boundary of Mindarie was in 2012 identified as a potential horse beach although further investigations concluded significant priority vegetation would have to be removed to accommodate horse floats.
But the administration considered the suitability of locality 2 for a dog beach as it was able to be used in winter and likely to attract residents from surrounding established suburbs including Mindarie, Clarkson, Burns Beach, Kinross, Currambine and Iluka.
Locality 3 from the southern end of the existing dog beach to the proposed southern Two Rocks access would result in a continuous dog beach of about 1.6km.
The City of Wanneroo says the number of registered dogs in the city has increased from 18,500 dogs in 2012 to 39,289 in 2025. Picture: Anita McInnesThere is plenty of access to the existing Two Rocks dog beach including via a 40m level sandy track, with a 17-bay parking area along Australis Dr, with additional shared bays at the boat ramp.
“About 300m south of the marina (Leeman’s Landing), is a second access point to the existing dog beach via a 225m partly paved path that is 4m wide,’’ the officer’s report said.
“A third access point at Leeman’s Boat Landing provides access via a 156m sandy path leading to the southernmost section of the beach, at Wreck Point (the bend).
“The city has also commenced developing a new beach access (900m) and car park in southern Two Rocks which will consist of 48 bays.
“The existing dog beach could be extended to this access, resulting in a continuous dog beach of about 1.6km in length.’’
But the administration said no water supply or dog wash facilities were planned for the new southern Two Rocks beach access and car park.
“The nearest water connection is along Two Rocks Rd, which would increase any future capital expenditure associated with providing water infrastructure at this location.’’
According to the city locality 4 starting about 200m south of the Shorehaven coastal node and running south for about 800m is less affected by coastal erosion and inundation, allowing it to remain consistently wide and suitable for year-round use as a dog exercise area.
“Furthermore, it has limited public access and little adjacent development meaning it is less commonly used as a swimming beach so its designation as a dog beach would be less disruptive to existing beach users.”
The officer’s report said the beach was previously considered in September 2017 and February 2018 but not supported at the time due to concerns regarding inundation.
“Subsequent monitoring indicates that this is no longer a significant constraint.’’
At the council’s agenda meeting on July 14 planning and sustainability director Chris Leigh said the administration was not asking the council to establish the new dog beaches.
“Rather, we’re asking for permission to test community sentiment and hear from our residents, our stakeholders and our beach users,’’ he said.
“Similarly, we’re also not seeking any financial commitment at this stage other than the costs that are associated with public consultation.
“During the consultation period, we’ll undertake further financial analysis of both the capital and ongoing operational costs associated with each option and we’ll bring that information back to council alongside the consultation results and recommendations before any final decision is made.’’
At the July 28 ordinary council meeting councillors also approved the administration’s proposed extension of the horse beach investigation to the 2027-28 financial year.
