Travel Channel

The Dandenong Ranges

Melbourne's Blue Dandenongs

Mt Dandenong Tourist Road
Melbourne, VIC

Nearest Train: Around half an hour drive from central Melbourne

The troubles of the world slip away as you ascend through mountain forests to Olinda. Bark hanging over the road outside William Ricketts Sanctuary lends a primordial feel to the drive. Further on, craft shops, tearooms, and restaurants with quaint names like "The Pig and Whistle" and "Fox and Hounds" line the village of Olinda. Once on top of the ridgeline it is an easy run to Sassafras with its tea shop, tearooms and Doll House Lane. Coming down the mountain, the villages of Ferny Creek and Tremont reveal more hidden delights en route to Ferntree Gully.