Dandenong Ranges Holidays Guide - Melbourne, Victoria

Melbourne Holidays - Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong National Park is an easy 1 hour, 40 kilometre drive from Melbourne via the Burwood Highway or Canterbury Road. There is also a train service to Upper Ferntree Gully or Belgrave station.

The park is an important sanctuary for the famous lyrebirds and other native fauna, as well as protecting the native forests and fern gullies of the Ranges.

This is the home of some of Australia's finest gardens and one of the best known is Karwarra, a native flora garden at Kalorama on the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road.

For garden lovers, the The National Rhododendron Gardens at Olinda, the Pirianda Gardens in Hacketts Road and Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens near Sherbrooke Forest are all highly recommended stops.

Countless visitors to Melbourne have travelled to Belgrave to ride Puffing Billy to Emerald Lake, a treat for all ages. The region has several lookouts providing panoramic vistas across the region. The best known is the SkyHigh Mount Dandenong Observatory with its incredible panoramic views to Port Phillip Bay.

During its gold rush heyday the town of Alexandra hosted 27 hotels. Examples of the grand architecture of the period can still be seen in the preserved historic sites. A popular way to see the sites is to take the heritage walk through town or ride the timber train.

Other attractions in the area are the Fraser National Park, the legendary CJ Dennis Gardens and the majestic tall timber of the Black Spur rainforest.

The region is well known for all types of adventure activities. Popular visitor attractions are the Wilhemina Falls and the Murrindindi Cascades south of Yea. The Yea and Goulburn Rivers provide trout fishing for keen anglers and the waters are perfect for a kayak experience. "Harley" tours are a novel way to see the region and take in the snow behind picturesque Marysville at Lake Mountain.

A visitors Introduction To The Dandenong Ranges from the official Victorian Tourism site