Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia Travel Information

The art of stylish living is honed to perfection in this striking green kingdom at Melbourne’s back door.

Link to accommodation, cottages & bed and breakfasts in the Dandenongs, Victoria

Less than an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Dandenong Ranges have been enticing Melburnians to their cool heights for more than a century – especially when summer brings a blowtorch to the city. Fastest access is via the Eastern Freeway to the Springvale Road exit, then a right turn onto Springvale Road, and left at Canterbury Road as far as Montrose. Turn right at the Montrose roundabout and follow the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road to Olinda.

One of the highest villages in the Dandenongs, Olinda is well-known for its scenic beauty. The town’s gardens and surroundings reflect the contrasts of the changing seasons – from the fiery colours of autumn, to the sombre cloak of winter when an occasional snowfall dusts the town, and the vigour of new life unfolding in spring. Olinda is a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon browsing through art, antique and craft galleries, and sampling a Devonshire tea. Don’t miss the Touchstone Craft Gallery, which displays and sells jewellery, glass, pottery, leather and ceramics made by some of Australia’s master craftsmen. If you happen to be in Olinda when the lunch bell sounds, head for Credo, where the big windows, bleached timber tables, and the quirky, olive-green canopy above the bar create a sophisticated, modern feel suggestive of an inner-city bistro. The menu features a range of modern Italian dishes based on seasonal produce – don’t miss the bread-and-butter pudding.

When most Melburnians think of the Dandenong Ranges, they think of gardens. Thanks to its cool climate and abundant rainfall, the Dandenong Ranges are home to some of Australia’s most magnificent gardens, and several are found in close proximity to Olinda. One of the most spectacular of all – the National Rhododendron Gardens – has 15,000 rhododendrons, 12,000 azaleas and 250,000 daffodils – as well as huge numbers of native birds and panoramic views across the Yarra Valley.

Among the most celebrated, the Alfred Nichols Gardens was founded in 1929 as part of the historic Burnham Beeches Estate, home of Alfred Nicholas, the name behind the Aspro label. Highlights of the garden are its many water features, including waterfalls and an ornamental lake with a boathouse. Paths wind beneath a canopy of mountain ash, past native and exotic trees that include ginkgoes, maples, liquidambars, and a variety of bulbs and flowering exotic shrubs that provide colour for all but the coldest months of the year. A picnic by the quaint boathouse rates high among the summer delights of the Dandenongs. One of the most astonishing gardens you’ll find anywhere is the William Ricketts Sanctuary, a four-acre garden on the slopes of Mount Dandenong that houses a whimsical collection of kiln-fired sculptures of Aboriginal figures set among rocks, fern trees and mountain ash trees. The creation of William Ricketts, the sculptures express his philosophy that we are all responsible for our environment.

Just two kilometres east of Olinda along Chalet Road, the RJ Hamer Arboretum has more than 150 species of native and exotic trees in plantations that are designed to replicate a natural forest, rather than the single-specimen plantings common to many parks. Species include majestic gums and oaks, as well as ornamental willows and birches, which are at their best during summer, creating a kaleidoscope of colours against the backdrop of the Yarra Valley and the distant Warburton Ranges. A rich array of autumn colours provides spectacular contrasts, from the fiery reds, oranges and crimsons of the liquidambars and maples, to the subtle palette of the deciduous conifers. Walking tracks and roads provide easy access to the arboretum’s breathtaking scenery and tranquil beauty.

Once logged to make ships’ masts, the tall-timber forests of the Dandenongs are now part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, a treasure-trove of wild sensations. Covering some 3,200 hectares, the park is a haven for lyrebirds – and a natural paradise for bushwalkers. The park has more than 300 kilometres of walking tracks that meander through lush fern gullies and misty mountain-ash forests, visiting local landmarks such as Sherbrooke Forest, Dongalla Homestead and the Thousand Steps. Unwinding from Sherbrooke Picnic Ground, the Forest Trail is one of the natural delights of the Dandenong Ranges. Only 1.2 kilometres long, the trail takes in some of the region’s finest sassafras and mountain ash trees, some of them up to 200 years old. If time is short, the scenic drives that wind through the forest are a great way to experience the majesty of the great, silent cathedral of the rainforest.

Just a 45 minute drive from the heart of Melbourne, Sassafras maintains its century-old, village-like charm, with an array of cafes, restaurants and teahouses, speciality and antique shops, and quality boutique accommodation. Behind the anonymous façade of a little weatherboard cottage, Ripe is a foodie’s delight – a cosy haven with a fire blazing on cold days and shelves stacked with regional produce. The small but imaginative menu may offer Barossa chicken with chips, veal Milanese, osso buco with polenta, blue swimmer crab bisque, or zucchini flowers with an Atlantic salmon and lime mousse.

The huff and puff of a vintage steam engine is one of the most thrilling sensations in the world of travel, especially when it’s combined with a majestic stretch of countryside. Since it began operations more than a century ago, Puffing Billy has enchanted millions of visitors on its daily journeys through the Dandenong Ranges. From its base at Belgrave, this gleaming red and green steam train makes a thunderous, 24.5 kilometre journey through soaring eucalypt forests to Gembrook. At Lakeside, the railway station is inside the beautiful Emerald Lake Park, where passengers can bushwalk, swim or relax in the peaceful country setting. At the pretty village of Gembrook, visitors can sample a traditional Aussie pub, stop for afternoon tea, or shop for souvenirs in the craft shops along the main street.