Dandenong Ranges NP

Things to Do in the Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges National Park covers 3,540 hectares of mountain ash forest, fern gullies and cool temperate rainforest, sitting 31 to 45 kilometres east of Melbourne CBD. Proclaimed in 1987 by amalgamating the former Ferntree Gully National Park, Sherbrooke Forest and Doongalla Estate, the park is one of the most visited natural areas in Victoria. Entry to the national park is free, though some nearby attractions charge their own fees.

Whether you have a couple of hours or a full day, the Ranges deliver dense forest walking, heritage rail, lookouts with city skyline views and wildlife encounters you won't find this close to any other Australian capital.

1000 Steps (Kokoda Memorial Walk)

The 1000 Steps is Melbourne's most popular bushwalk, and for good reason. The track climbs roughly 300 metres through towering mountain ash and tree ferns in the Ferntree Gully section of the park. It follows the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, with plaques along the route honouring Australian soldiers who fought on the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea during World War II.

The walk is 3.3 kilometres return and takes most people between 60 and 90 minutes depending on fitness. The steps themselves are uneven in places and can be slippery after rain, so proper footwear matters. Weekends before 10 am get genuinely crowded - if you want the track mostly to yourself, arrive by 7:30 am on a weekday. The car park at the base on Mt Dandenong Tourist Road fills early on weekends, and overflow parking along the road gets policed.

At the top, the Lyrebird Track connects across to Sherbrooke Forest if you want to extend the walk into a longer loop of around 8 kilometres.

Sherbrooke Falls

Sherbrooke Falls is a modest cascade that drops about 8 metres through a fern-lined gully in the heart of Sherbrooke Forest. The walk from the Sherbrooke picnic area car park is roughly 2.4 kilometres return on a well-maintained gravel path, making it accessible for most fitness levels.

The falls are best after rain - a dry summer reduces them to a trickle, so time your visit after a few days of steady rainfall for the best flow. The surrounding forest here is some of the densest in the park, with mature mountain ash towering overhead and an understorey thick with soft tree ferns. This section is also prime territory for spotting superb lyrebirds scratching through the leaf litter.

Puffing Billy Railway

The Puffing Billy Railway is a heritage steam train running from Belgrave to Gembrook along a 24-kilometre narrow-gauge track originally built in 1900. It is one of Australia's most iconic tourist railways and runs daily except on days of total fire ban.

The full Belgrave to Gembrook return journey takes about four hours, but most visitors do the shorter Belgrave to Lakeside return, which takes roughly two hours and costs around $65 for adults and $33 for children (prices as of 2026). The route crosses the iconic Trestle Bridge at Selby, where passengers traditionally dangle their legs out the open-sided carriages - a tradition unique to Puffing Billy.

Belgrave station is a short walk from the national park entrance, so it pairs well with a morning walk before boarding an afternoon train. Book tickets online in advance during school holidays and weekends, as services sell out.

SkyHigh Mount Dandenong

SkyHigh Mount Dandenong sits at the summit of Mount Dandenong at 633 metres elevation, offering panoramic views across Melbourne's eastern suburbs to the CBD skyline, Port Phillip Bay and, on clear days, the You Yangs to the west. The lookout is free to access, though the car park charges a vehicle entry fee of around $7.

The grounds include a hedge maze ($8 per person), walking paths through the English-style gardens, and a café and restaurant. Sunset visits are popular for obvious reasons - watching the city lights switch on as the sky darkens behind you is one of Melbourne's underrated experiences. The lookout area itself gets windy and noticeably cooler than the suburbs below, so bring a layer even in summer.

Grants Picnic Ground

Grants Picnic Ground in Sherbrooke is well known for its daily cockatoo feeding. Sulphur-crested cockatoos, king parrots and crimson rosellas descend in large numbers, and you can purchase seed on site. It is a reliable spot for close-up bird encounters, particularly with children.

The picnic ground also serves as a trailhead for several walking tracks through Sherbrooke Forest, including the Eastern Sherbrooke Forest walk (3.8 km loop) and connections through to the Sherbrooke Falls track. Facilities include barbecues, sheltered tables and toilets.

William Ricketts Sanctuary

William Ricketts Sanctuary is a unique outdoor gallery set within the forest at Mount Dandenong. The sanctuary contains dozens of clay sculptures created by William Ricketts between the 1930s and 1990s, depicting Indigenous Australians integrated into the natural rock faces, tree trunks and fern beds of the mountain.

The sculptures emerge organically from the landscape - faces appearing from boulders, figures entwined with living tree roots. The effect is striking and unlike anything else in Victoria. Entry is around $12 for adults. The sanctuary is compact, with a circuit walk taking about 30 to 45 minutes, but it rewards slow exploration. It is managed by Parks Victoria and is open daily.

How to Get to the Dandenong Ranges

From Melbourne CBD, the most direct route is the Burwood Highway or the Monash Freeway to Ferntree Gully Road, taking 50 to 70 minutes depending on traffic. The Belgrave line on the Metro Trains network runs from Flinders Street Station to Belgrave in about 70 minutes, putting you at the doorstep of Puffing Billy and the southern park entrances.

If you are combining the Ranges with other stops on a road trip through the Yarra Valley or Gippsland, use our trip planner to map out driving distances and overnight options.

Parking is available at multiple trailheads throughout the park, though the 1000 Steps car park and Grants Picnic Ground fill early on weekends and public holidays. There is no parking fee for national park car parks, only at SkyHigh.

When to Visit

The Dandenong Ranges are open daily year-round. The park is at its most atmospheric in autumn (March to May) when the deciduous trees in the surrounding villages turn gold and orange, and winter rainfall keeps the waterfalls flowing and the fern gullies lush.

Spring brings wildflowers and the rhododendrons at the National Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda hit peak bloom from October to November - the gardens hold over 15,000 plants across 42 hectares and are one of the finest collections in the Southern Hemisphere.

Summer is pleasant in the hills (typically 5 to 8 degrees cooler than Melbourne's lowlands), but be aware that fire danger days may close the park at short notice. Check the Parks Victoria website or the VicEmergency app on days of high or extreme fire danger rating before driving up. On total fire ban days, assume the park is closed.

The waterfalls are best after rain. A dry spell of two weeks or more reduces Sherbrooke Falls and Olinda Falls to barely a drip.

Wildlife

The Dandenong Ranges support a remarkable density of wildlife for a park so close to a city of five million people. Superb lyrebirds are the headline act - Sherbrooke Forest is one of the best places in Australia to see them, particularly in winter when males perform their elaborate tail-fanned courtship displays and mimic the calls of other bird species with uncanny accuracy.

Common wombats live throughout the park but are largely nocturnal. Your best chance of a sighting is at dawn or dusk along the quieter fire trails in the Doongalla and Olinda sections. Swamp wallabies are more frequently seen, often grazing along track edges in the early morning.

The park is also home to the powerful owl, Australia's largest owl species, which roosts in the tall mountain ash during the day. Birdwatchers familiar with their habits locate them by scanning high branches for their distinctive silhouette, though they are not easy to find without local knowledge.

Other species to watch for include yellow-tailed black cockatoos, gang-gang cockatoos, eastern yellow robins and echidnas.

Dogs are not allowed in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. This is strictly enforced and applies to all tracks and picnic areas within the park boundaries.

Villages and Food

Three villages border the national park and are worth building into your visit.

Sassafras sits along the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road and is the most browsable of the three, with a string of cafes, antique shops, homewares stores and small galleries lining the main street. Miss Marple's Tearoom is a local institution for Devonshire tea. The village has a strong arts-and-crafts character that dates back decades.

Olinda is slightly higher on the mountain and has a quieter feel. The cafes here tend toward brunch menus with local produce. The National Rhododendron Gardens are at the edge of the village and make a natural pairing with a meal in town. Cloudehill Nursery and Gardens, a privately owned garden estate, is also worth the entry fee for its design and seasonal plantings.

Belgrave at the base of the ranges is more of a functional town than a boutique village, but it has solid café options near the Puffing Billy station and serves as the main gateway for walkers arriving by train. The Cameo Cinema in Belgrave is one of Melbourne's oldest independent cinemas, if you are looking for an evening option after a day in the hills.

Tips for Visiting

• Footwear matters. Tracks are often wet and muddy, even days after rain. Proper walking shoes or boots with grip are essential, especially on the 1000 Steps and Sherbrooke Falls tracks.
• Dress in layers. The ranges sit 400 to 633 metres above sea level and are consistently cooler and wetter than Melbourne's lowlands. Expect temperatures 5 to 8 degrees lower than the city forecast.
• Arrive early on weekends. The 1000 Steps car park fills by 9 am on Saturdays and Sundays. Grants Picnic Ground follows by mid-morning.
• Check fire ratings before you go. The park closes on total fire ban days and may close on severe or extreme fire danger days. The VicEmergency app gives real-time updates.
• Leeches are present. After wet weather, leeches are active on tracks through the wetter gullies. They are harmless but unpopular. Long pants and gaiters help.
• No camping in the national park. The Dandenong Ranges is a day-use park only. The nearest camping options are in the Yarra Valley or along the Warburton Trail.
• Mobile reception is patchy. Telstra coverage is generally reliable along main roads but drops out on some forest tracks. Download offline maps before you head in.

Nearby Attractions

Olinda Falls is a short drive from the village of Olinda and offers a 3-kilometre return walk through mountain ash forest to a two-tiered waterfall. Like Sherbrooke Falls, it flows best after sustained rainfall.

The Yarra Valley wine region begins about 20 minutes north-east of the ranges, with over 80 cellar doors. Healesville Sanctuary, a native wildlife park run by Zoos Victoria, is 40 minutes from Belgrave and pairs well with a day that starts in the Dandenongs.

Further east, the Warburton Rail Trail follows the old railway line for 38 kilometres through the Upper Yarra Valley - a flat, sealed cycling and walking path that connects well with a Puffing Billy day for rail history enthusiasts.