The Dandenong Ranges are a famous region to the east of Melbourne, a low mountain range home to little villages straight out of fairytales, historic steam trains, gardens, art and restaurants of all kinds. It's truly one of my favourite areas in all of Australia.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport.
My parents joined us for a few weeks of van life between Sydney and the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne. We visited the Mornington Peninsula with them for two days after exploring nearby Phillip Island. I did get to visit Melbourne in 2019 but never made it out to the Dandenong Ranges, so was thrilled to get to explore this beautiful region this time around and with my partner and parents in tow.
For over 35,000 years, the Wurundjeri people have lived on this land, calling the area Corhanwarrabul.
The first European to see the Dandenong Ranges was Matthew Flinders in 1802 when he landed at Port Phillip Bay. He did meet Aboriginal people. The next European to visit was Hovell in 1827; he also met Aboriginals. This led to the establishment of sheep grazing and farms starting from 1835 with the first towns being established by 1850. By the 1900s, the area was popular with orchards and horticulture.
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Each pin includes exact locations, images, detailed information, the ability to open and save the spot in your Google Maps and a link to my relevant blog post to read more.
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to the Dandenong Ranges. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In the Dandenong Ranges, the traditional language of the Wurundjeri people is Woi Wurrung.
→ Learn more about the language of the Wurundjeri people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. The Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne in Victoria, can get very busy in the summer, especially around school holidays, and quite wet and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: We spent two full days exploring the Dandeong Ranges which is a good start to visit the main highlights of the area but we loved it so much that we plan to visit again and spend some more time exploring the villages! I think a visit of four days will allow you to explore the region at leisure.
By flight: The closest major airport is in Melbourne, about an hour's drive west (depending on which part of the ranges you're visiting, more or less). Most visitors to the Dandenong Ranges will arrive in Melbourne if coming by air.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Melbourne!
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to the Dandenong Ranges is with your own wheels.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Melbourne.
You might want to start in Melbourne as your base for renting a campervan to explore Australia.
→ Rent a campervan in Perth with Apollo, Camplify, Indie or Juicy.
By public transport: Depending on where in the Dandenong Ranges you're headed, you can likely easily travel there by train and bus. Take the train from Flinders Street Station in Melbourne to either Upper Ferntree Gully and transfer by bus to Sassafras and Olinda, or take the train to Lilydale and transfer by bus to Healesville and Marysville.
→ Plan your trip to the Dandenong Ranges by public transport.
By guided tour: There are many guided tours of the Dandenong Ranges departing from Melbourne, a great option if you don't have a car or simply want to go the guided route.
On foot: The Dandenong Ranges themselves are huge, encompassing many neighbourhoods, villages, towns and scenic roads so getting between them will definitely require transport! However, the towns and villages themselves are small and delightful and can easily be explored on foot such as Sassafras, Olinda, Warburton, Marysville and Healesville.
By car: Of course, the easiest way to explore is with your own wheels. We are traveling around the entire country in our campervan for a year and it gives so much freedom to get around.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Melbourne.
By bus: The Dandenong Ranges are well-serviced by Victoria public buses, connecting at either Upper Ferntree Gully or Lilydale train stations, depending on where in the ranges you want to go.
→ Plan your trip around the Dandenong Ranges with public transport.
While it is certainly possible to do a day trip to the Dandenong Ranges from Melbourne, I highly encourage at least a few days to properly explore the area; there is so much to see and do!
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in the Dandenong Ranges to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options in the Dandenong Ranges.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. The best way to find camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
We chose to stay at a free campsite while visiting the Dandenong Ranges. Magazine Track is a great free campground nestled into the trees of Kurth Kiln Regional Park. There is a short dirt road to access it but totally fine for any vehicle (we did it in our Mercedes Sprinter campervan). There are no facilities aside from a basic long-drop toilet.
There are so many villages and towns scattered throughout the Dandenong Ranges, each with plenty of food options to suit, so you won't have any troubles finding something delicious.
We had lunch in Marysville at the colourful Keppel Cafe, the perfect midday break as you explore the Yarra Valley. I can highly recommend the Keppel Salad as well as their popcorn cauliflower. They also do fantastic coffee.
We had dinner in Olinda at Dudley's, a cute Italian spot offering wholesome dishes with indoor and outdoor seating. The service was great and the food was surprisingly good, especially the vegetarian risotto. It's the perfect dinner spot after exploring the Dandenong Villages.
Keppel Cafe
Dudley's
The Dandenong Ranges are a big, mountainous area east of Melbourne and there is truly so much to do and see. We spent two full days exploring with my parents the first time we visited and loved it so much we are planning to come back to explore more of the area. Here is everything we did to get you started:
Spot the historic Puffing Billy
There is a trestle bridge (exact location here) which is the best spot along the Puffing Billy Railway Line to see the train coming along as it crosses the bridge. There is a small parking lot just under the trestle bridge. The train will cross the bridge a few minutes after it departs nearby Belgrave; check the latest train timetables for timing. It's fun to wave at everyone riding the train and a great photo op.
It's a free alternative if you don't want to ride the train, but the train would also be a fantastic, fun way to explore the Dandenong Ranges.
→ Book tickets to ride the historic Puffing Billy through the Dandenong Ranges.
Explore Sassafras
Sassafras was one of our favourite Dandenong Villages to explore. It's truly a fairytale village set up in the mountains on a winding road lined with trees stuffed with cute boutiques, vintage bookshops and delightful cafes to peruse.
One of my favourite shops was Lennox, a beautiful collective of local accessories including hats, bags, jewelry and other fashion statements all laid out in such a delightful manner and run by such a lovely woman. I picked up two pairs of earrings here and could have happily bought the whole shop!
We also all loved Through the Looking Glass, one of the most magical bookshops I have stepped foot in. Selling a delightful collection of secondhand books, complete with its very own Narnia wardrobe, you simply can't miss this one.
Go for a walk and cross the Warburton Redwood Bridge
In Warburton, there is a lovely river walk starting at the ADRA Community Centre along the Yarra River. Our favourite photo spot along the walk was the Warburton Redwood Bridge, a wooden suspension bridge connecting both sides of the river.
Walk beneath the redwoods at Cement Creek
Planted in the 1930s as part of a hydrology experiment, the Cement Creek Redwood Forest has over 1,470 trees. It's just a really pretty spot to take some photos in the towering redwoods, some reaching over 55 metres tall.
Drive the Acheron Way
The Acheron Way is a scenic drive in the Dandenong Ranges stretching from Warburton to Narbethong. Partially paved and partially gravel, this incredible winding road goes past lush eucalyptus and fern and is just so gorgeous to soak in.
Visit Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden
This incredible garden is the personal life's work of Bruno who has handcrafted over 180 statues of different fairytales entirely out of clay. They were destroyed in the 2009 bushfires but since rebuilt and the result is fantastic.
He charges $10 per person to visit (cash or bank transfer) and you can simply wander his garden at your leisure.
Check out the view from Selover's Lookout
The Selover's Lookout is a quick little viewpoint to stop at off the Maroondah Highway which gives a great view towards the Maroondah Reservoir, one of the main water supplies to Melbourne.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
