Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges are a group of hills forming the eastern boundary of Melbourne, Australia, about 35 km east of the central city. They can be seen from most parts of Melbourne, and are easily identifiable as a group of three hills with large television towers.

Understand
Four chunks of the ranges form the Dandenong Ranges National Park, whose highest peak is TV tower-topped Mount Dandenong itself (633 m). The valley between the hills has the pleasant towns of Olinda, Sassafras and Kallista, and the wineries of the Yarra Valley are just to the north. Although there is a suburb called Dandenong in Melbourne, it is 30 km from the mountain of the same name. Make sure you double check!


 * Parks Victoria office, Lower Picnic Ground, Ferntree Gully, Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd. Has park and track maps.

By train
The Dandenongs can be reached by Belgrave line Metro trains from Melbourne in just over an hour. Outside rush hour, you may need to board a train to Lilydale and change at Ringwood. Two park information centres are near Upper Ferntree Gully station (one on the Railway Rd side, the other 10 min away at the Ferntree Gully picnic grounds), while Puffing Billy (see below) leaves from near Belgrave.

Alternatively, take the train to Croydon on the Lilydale line, and continue by Ventura bus 688 to Mt Dandenong and Olinda. The service is infrequent, but it's the only way of reaching either on Sundays.

By car
As ever in Australia, a car will come in handy for touring the area, especially on weekends. The main route through the Dandenong Ranges is via the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. It ranges from Upper Ferntree Gully (at the junction with Burwood Highway) in the south and winds through the ranges via Ferny Creek, Sassafras, Olinda, Mount Dandenong and Kalorama before terminating at Montrose, at a junction with (the similarly named, but different) Mount Dandenong Road. The road is a pleasant drive through tall forests and should take approximately 35 minutes (depending on traffic).

Get around
Ventura Bus Lines runs several buses in the area. All are in Metlink Zone 2 and run very infrequently, so check schedules beforehand.
 * Bus 694: Belgrave-Olinda-Mt Dandenong. Monday-Saturday.
 * Bus 695: Belgrave-Gembrook. Daily.
 * Bus 698: Upper Ferntree Gully-Olinda-Mt Dandenong. Monday-Friday peak hours only.

It is possible to travel by train to Upper Ferntree Gully or Belgrave station. From there, several walks are available throughout nearby Ferntree Gully National Park, (see below). There are a plethora of walking tracks throughout the Dandenong Ranges that can be reached by bus. Maps are located from the Information Centre at Upper Ferntree Gully.

Cycling is possible, but only for intermediate and advanced cyclists.

Running is also possible.

See

 * Mt Dandenong Scenic Lookout on the 633-m summit is accessible by road and looks out across all of Melbourne
 * Flower farms
 * Devonshire tea houses with friendly parrots
 * Mt Dandenong Scenic Lookout on the 633-m summit is accessible by road and looks out across all of Melbourne
 * Flower farms
 * Devonshire tea houses with friendly parrots

Eat
Unless you're touring by car, you'll need to bring along your own supplies: there's a supermarket and a few basic eateries next to Upper Ferntree Gully station. The National Park has half a dozen picnic grounds with barbecues, shelters and water, as well as a cafe.

Drink
The Royal Hotel is across the road from Upper Ferntree Gully train station. There are also some bars in Belgrave, such as Sooki Lounge which features live bands - check the gig guide.