Experience the Dandenongs

Mount Dandenong & Surrounds

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Capturing the Dandenongs’ Vistas

Panoramic photos provide a unique glimpse into our environment, capturing not just a moment but rather its entire duration. Artists, geographers and environmentalists utilize panoramas to gain insight into spatial relations as well as dynamic environments like landscapes, urban settings and natural vistas.

No matter your photographic expertise, panoramas can be enjoyable and straightforward to create. Simply take multiple shots before combining them.

1. Mt Dandenong

Mt Dandenong offers stunning vistas that make it one of Melbourne’s premier lookouts. On a clear day, from its lookout, one can witness sprawling hills and city skylines; You Yang Ridges in the southern horizon; as well as You Yang Rim Ridges of southern China on clear days. Open all year long for locals and visitors alike alike; it should especially be visited when sunset hits as its sparkling diamonds illuminate mountains and city lights below.

As soon as you ascend a mountain, city concrete gives way to lush forests of towering mountain ash trees and giant tree ferns, punctuated with small villages as charming in winter as in spring. Enjoy some high tea and scones at one of the charming village cafes of Mount Dandenong, Olinda or Sassafras while discovering cozy cottages or grand hill homes that dot their landscapes.

Explore the beautiful gardens of the region, and breathe in fresh air at one of its many national parks nestled into lush forests of mountain ash. Visit Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden to behold an opulence of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias; Alfred Nicholas Gardens offers tranquility; Tesselaar Tulip Farm offers patchwork quilt of bright tulips that provide stunning scenery;

Mount Dandenong area features many walking and driving tracks, some leading to breathtaking vistas such as Sherbrooke Falls or taking you through stunning forests such as Sassafras Creek Forest Trail. Also be sure not to miss William Ricketts Sanctuary where incredible ceramic sculptures crafted by William himself were placed depicting Aboriginal Dreamtime legends.

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Mt Dandenong is a popular weekend escape for Melbourne residents, offering many activities tailored specifically for families with young children. The National Rhododendron Garden – with its classic English garden of lawns, flowering shrubs, pebbled creek and reflecting ponds – makes an enjoyable journey with children; boasting more than 6,000 species including Rhododendrons, Australian Blackwood Trees, Hydrangeas and Ranunculas!

Dandenong Ranges provide a delightful opportunity to indulge your senses with some of Australia’s finest foods and wines, featuring locally sourced ingredients in traditional recipes served at restaurants and cafes. At cellar doors you can sample local produce before sipping wine or beer while admiring breathtaking vistas from scenic forest paths.

2. Lake Wendouree

Lake Wendouree is one of Ballarat’s most stunning sights, boasting a prestigious stretch of water where an international rowing event was hosted in 1956 and where boathouses still dot its shores. Each week thousands of people walk around its perimeter while runners often attempt to complete six-kilometre laps around it. Birdlife like echidnas and black wallabies make regular appearances here – including nighttime visits by these roamers!

Through out the park you’ll discover many places for picnicking, strolling and admiring magnificent views over Melbourne and its suburbs. Ride the Burkes Lookout Tour or drive along Mount Dandenong Tourist Road for breathtaking vistas of Warburton Ranges and Silvan Reservoir; with any luck, you may catch sight of yellow-bellied gliders or feather tail gliders soaring through the forest canopy at night!

Established cool climate gardens are a spectacular feature of this region, particularly during spring and autumn. Discover stunning displays of rainbow-hued rhododendrons, hydrangeas and camellias at National Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda and Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens in Doongalla as they come into bloom, while others transform into colourful beech, maple and liquid amber forests by autumn.

As part of their popular activities in the Dandenong Ranges, visitors often enjoy hiking trails leading to waterfalls cascading over rock faces, exploring sleepy country villages and taking in local culture and cuisine. You may also wish to visit art galleries, indulge in boutique wineries or boutique beer, visit art museums or simply admire the natural beauty while on a scenic drive or day trip aboard Puffing Billy train.

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Sherbrooke Forest National Park offers visitors plenty of creatures to look out for, including native birds such as rosellas and cockatoos, as well as Grants Picnic Ground or Sherbrooke Falls for walks and picnics. It boasts an abundant ecosystem encompassing rainforest and heathland environments that makes this an excellent spot to discover wildlife!

Dandenongs offer endless beauty to explore, whether strolling through 20 English “garden rooms” at Cloudehill Nursery and Gardens or revelling at Tesselaar Tulip Festival. There are also great lookouts like Burkes Lookout and Sky High Mount Dandenong that provide stunning panoramic vistas; other parks nearby provide horseback riding, trail bike riding and four-wheel driving experiences; while Bunyip State Park features horseback riding trails, four-wheel driving opportunities as well as camping and bushwalking activities; Kurth Kiln Regional Park provides camping as well as four wheel driving adventures that take them up some of Victoria’s highest vantage points – so do check them all out when visiting Victoria if possible!

3. Mt Tomah

Dandenong Ranges’ eastern peaks boast an abundance of stunning sights and picturesque villages that beckon day trippers as well as locals alike to explore towering mountain ash forests, lush fern gullies and walking trails that dot this part of Victoria.

No trip to Tasmania would be complete without exploring its numerous national parks and gardens, such as National Rhododendron Garden with its array of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias; or enjoying Tesselaar Tulip Festival with its vibrant displays; William Ricketts Sanctuary offers spiritual significance amidst towering ferns and rocky outcrops, or visiting William Ricketts Sanctuary to take in Aboriginal spirituality among towering ferns and rock outcrops!

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Dandenong Mountains are well known for their breathtaking panoramic views, but there’s much more to experience here. From charming towns and villages perched above dense forest cover, to hidden treasures that offer special attractions for visitors – each village and town in Dandenong Mountains has something unique for visitors to uncover.

Mount Dandenong, situated just 30 minutes outside Melbourne, is a picturesque township that attracts day trippers looking for an escape. Here, visitors will find many delightful cafes and restaurants, offering high tea options like SkyHigh Mount Dandenong with breathtaking views across Melbourne city lights.

Township of Tokachi is also an ideal spot for outdoor recreation, offering hiking and biking trails that wind their way through lush rainforest. Walks can be enjoyed by both families and solo adventurers with easy to moderately challenging trails to suit all fitness levels; alternatively, lush forests provide the ideal place for an enjoyable picnic lunch among open lawns and majestic eucalypt trees – perfect for an easy afternoon lunch!

Or why not hop aboard the legendary Puffing Billy steam train for an unforgettable journey through mountain ash forests and fern gullies, along trestle bridges and through charming small-town railway stations (kids love this) with opportunities to dangle your legs off carriage sills – an iconic experience from Belgrave to Lakeside and Gembrook (including special Train of Lights experiences in winter months and Polar Express excursions at Christmas) with various tours available?

SkyHigh Mount Dandenong provides an unforgettable backdrop for wedding ceremonies, engagement parties and romantic dinner dates, with its open grounds serving as one of Melbourne’s premier locations for special events like this. The garden’s series of landscaped areas makes this spot the ideal location to host such ceremonies; couples looking to propose can even take the chance to have an intimate stroll together!