Australia is a beautiful and vast country, but it can be really hard to find expansive areas to exercise humans and dogs together.

It doesn't help that dog walking areas are designated by local councils, so policies, rules and facilities can change simply by crossing the street, particularly in our big cities. Some councils are more enlightened, others less so; some are very restricted by available land; others by poorly informed policy.

If you live in the city, check the councils that surround your own authority, and check the council of places you'd like to walk. The council website is the best place to start - but each council's site is organised differently so you may have to dig around for the information you want.

In most of Australia, except Queensland, you can take your dog off-lead to State Forests. State forest is land managed for timber production, water catchment management and recreation, including hunting. Access is generally open, but can be restricted during fire seasons or when timber is being harvested, for example.

Don't confuse State Forests with State Parks, Conservation Areas or National Parks. State Parks, Conservation Areas or National Parks tend not to allow dogs off-lead, or forbid them entirely for the protection of flora and fauna.

For NT, check this site for good information on where you can take your dog off-lead: http://ed.gr/bz8rh. And in ACT, http://ed.gr/bz8rg

In WA, check out this site http://ed.gr/bz8rf - you can select state forests where you can take your dog.

Victoria and NWS are spoilt for State Forests and they offer some of the best walks and outdoor experiences in the country. Probably!

Victoria’s ‘More To Explore’ app is a great tool I recommend for exploring the State Forests. It’s packed with useful information, detailed and downloadable maps for use when you have no signal and tools for selecting locations based on your favourite activities. For NSW, download the “Forests” app – it’s not quite at user-friendly, in my opinion, but handy to have on your phone too.