EMMARENTIA DAM
Description:
A large park that is the best dog walk in Johannesburg. There
are several dams for swimming and different habitats such as
grassed lawns, woodland and natural grasses. The northern and
north-west sections (ie the picnic area near the main dam, the
tea-room, the rose garden and the botanical gardens) are
off-limits for dogs.
Directions:
Located in
Emmarentia in North Johannesburg (Map Studio pg. 80 DR 96).
Dog Friendliness:
Technically all dogs should be on lead, but nobody seems to
comply. For the best in doggy sociability walk at about 8-8.30
am and 4-5pm at weekends.
Walk Time:
Under 1 hour.
Parking:
There are two
parking areas for dogwalkers: (1) The dirt parking lot off
Orange Rd which has car guards at weekends; and (2) The parking
lot off Thomas Bowler at the southern end of the Rose Garden
which has a car guard on duty at busy times. Note: You can no
longer bring dogs into through park via the main gate and so
CANNOT park in the main car park near the tea garden.
Safety:
The park has
recently been fenced and access is now via 5 gates and there are
security guards that patrol the area. However, outside of peak
dog walk periods, be careful and stick to
the
central sections around the two dams.
Facilities:
Now that dog
walkers have been banned from the northern reaches of the park,
there are no facilities.
Water:
There are 2 dams en
route and a stream linking them with several
pools. All
are suitable for doggy swimming.
Walk:
There is an
extensive network of paths – just meander along them and enjoy
the views, the exercise, the bird and plant life, and the other
dogs.
Watch Out For:
(1) Broken glass in various places. (2) Human faeces in some of
the reeded stream banks between the main northern dam and the
middle dam (3) Discarded food thrown into the bushes or left on
the grass. (4) Hard balls (including golf balls) used in various
ball games. (5) Now that the park has been fenced in there may
be entrance charges levied on users in future and dogs may be
completely banned from this park.
History:
The main park
is called Jan van Riebeeck Park and was founded in 1952 for the
300 “anniversary” of the 1st Dutch settlers arriving
at the Cape. The two small upper dams were constructed to
contain flood waters. The reedbeds that have established
themselves attract a wide variety of weavers, bishop birds and
waterfowl.
© Dogwalk Publications -
07 July 2007
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