Dandenong Ranges National Park

Beautiful forest walks! I’ve been three times, twice entering from Upper Fern Tree Gully, and once from Belgrave (both by metro rail). Belgrave gets you close to the Sherbrooke forest area, and a number of paths good for spotting a variety of birds, including lyrebirds. The upper fern tree gully station brings you less than a mile’s walk to the base of the Thousand Steps/Kokoda Memorial Walk. The “thousand steps” up into the park are certainly steep, but the feeling of entering the rainforest and climbing up into the ranges is so worth it. There’s two routes up quite close to each other; I recommend both! This area is popular and you will always see other people, but one can still hear the sounds of bird calls echoing from the trees. Once you get to the top of the thousand steps, there is a campground nearby (with public restrooms). From that campground you can head further into the forests, and it gets much quieter. During and after rain, some tracks do get very muddy, but I found hiking in the light rain to still be enjoyable, and many of the larger paths were not so muddy. The terrain is fairly hilly, but none of the peaks in the areas nearby the metro rail are very high on their own. As a solo hiker, the area felt very safe :)

I wanted to explore some of Melbourne's hiking trails and Dandenong Ranges National Park did not disappoint. Just a little over an hour on the train + bus from Southern Cross station, you are almost immediately ensconced in a fern forest with tall trees, the song of birds and the telltale kookaburra, a slight breeze rustling the branches, and a pleasurable shade up the Kokoda Trail (1000 Steps). I took the Rambler Trail > Kokoda Trail > Ramu Trail > Bellview Terrace. It was a long loop that took almost 3 hours total, but it was totally worth it. While there's a bit of incline and stairs, there are informational plaques about WWII along the way. I absolutely loved that a place like this is so close and accessible from the central business district. If you're looking to spend half a day in nature in Melby, the Dandenong Ranges National Park is a great place to be!

I absolutely love this park, I went to the Kokoda Trail and it never disappoints. There's no real access for anyone with mobility issues. The 1,000 steps walk is lush, green and full of birds. The lyrebird trail is offers nice views on the way down too. The steps are moderately difficult and last about 30 minutes if you just like to take it all in like me. The towering trees and huge ferns give the forest an almost prehistoric feel. Make sure you've got water on a hot day. You can fill your bottle at the car park. There's toilets and BBQs too.

Great set up for families. Decent parking. Good tourist areas with ice cream, snacks, coffee etc. Lots of large picnic tables and areas for bbq’s too Lots of walking trails for serious walkers and lazier ones like myself including some for disabled people which I was very impressed with. Lots of local wildlife to see and the kids loved giving the birds some birdseed. We will definitely be going back.

The Dandenong national park is one to die for! The scenery nature is unmatched! The sight of tree branching over you whilst birds chirp away is a real surreal experience. The entire walk is very peaceful making it a great time to consolidate your thoughts. If you don’t like exercising this is the place for you, get distracted by the views and nature losing track of time! Hope this helps :)

A regular on hikes in this area, absolutely love the area and walks, only negative point on these walks is not enough detail maps on offer unless you go online and download them to use off-line. Highly recommended and will always continue to use these walks, did the Lyrebird, Neumann and Grants picnic are walk the latest.

We came here for hiking but due to closure of some of the hiking place, we went for the lyrebird track instead of Kokoda track 1000 steps memorial walk. It was drizzling and we hiked up under the rain. Fresh air and heard lyrebird welcoming us with their lovely voice! A memorable hike for 750m distance before giving up!

If you live locally, I highly recommend walking here once or twice a month. If you don't live locally, please grab a friend and come visit. It's peaceful on the trails so long as you don't go at peak times on the weekends. The park is currently getting some upgrades including a new playground right beside the cafe!

Beautiful location although very muddy in places despite the beautiful warm day. Could be quite dangerous in places for young children with steep cliffs and no barriers. There was a young couple with a pram and newborn so perhaps signage stating that it is not suitable for prams would be helpful to some families.

My go to when I'm in the area. Love this track! Stairs are always a good challenge and great if you don't have all that much time to get in a great workout! Beautiful rainforest scenery too, and bush depending on which part of the track you go. Love it!
Dog-friendliness
No dogs allowed here.

A nice place for a weekend walk. Signs say the 1000 steps take 1.5hrs but I did it in 45 mins with my moderate fitness level. Walk up the stairs and down via the alternate track. Take a bottle of water, there are taps at the top to refil. Go early in the day as it gets busy on a nice day.

Great for a nature escape within the Greater Melbourne Area. Very busy when the weather is good but it's an oasis from the suburbs. Tons of bird life including lyrebirds, kookaburras and Rosella's. The thousands steps are killer hut they are well worth the scenery and varies view points.

This place is worth visiting but crazy drivers are around to kill you as you travel winding roads. So watch out! It is most suitable for day time visiting with family and friends. There are a lot of interesting lookouts, falls, and parklands but the nearly reservoir is closed this year.

If you really want to get out in the bush with great walking tracks then this is the place to go. There's also plenty of parking spaces and a Cafe. The 1000 steps is the best if your into exercise and want a challenge. It's surrounded by bushland so makes walking a very nice experience

Went for the 1,000 steps walk With family. It was quite a good experience. We bumped into a former tour guide who explained a lot of things to us about the place. Relaxing walk if you are fit enough for it. Lot of really old trees and streams flowing downhill.

This is the first mountain I've climbed since I came to Melbourne. I always choose rainy days, the air is good, there are few people. I suggest you try any of the hiking routes around it, which always bring surprises. A few friends would be a good choice.

Definitely wouldn't recommend going on the 1000 steps if you're a beginner hiker like me can get very steep so be careful walking up and avoid going or looking down too much (can get a little dizzy lol). We also saw some wild animals like

Dandenong Ranges National Park is a beautiful and peaceful place I've visited. The park is home to an incredible array of flora and fauna, including towering mountain ash trees, colourful parrots, and curious wallabies. The hiking trails

A wonderful place to walk in, however do make sure you're aware of trail updates and fallen trees. Many trails are closed so do check online before embarking on long or complex hikes. Numerous picnic grounds and lots of opportunities to

Highly recommend the entire Dandenong Ranges for a quick escape from Melbourne that can be done within a day. Easily accessible and only 60-90 minutes from Melbourne, you should visit the small quaint villages scattered throughout the

Great place for a hike. Beautiful scenery. Whatever your fitness level is you can either take it slowly, and enjoy the magnificent scenic views, or, amp it up and really burn some calories (also whilst surrounded by majestic bushland).

Very calming and you could feel nature deeply. You also could find various species of birds such as cockatoos, parrots and lyrebirds. ** BE CAREFUL about the leeches, they are sneaking under the ground and coming into you!

Awesome park for walk, run or hike for all levels of fitness. We had great time. We would come again and again.
Restrooms
Restroom available but not clean.
Picnic area
Multiple picnic area with barbecue.

Nice area for bush walking and having a nice day walking around. Just be aware not to feed the local birds as we were warned from the ranger it's a $400 fine per bird. But birds are friendly to visit if you have food.

This place is absolutely beautiful to spend time with friends, family or alone. Its unique landscape various kinds of plants, flowers and trees were orchestrated well. I never had enough spending time at this garden.

Today was overcast and I thought it would rain, but it didn't. It was a nice day. The wild trail is open again, so I took that trail. Still beautiful as ever and really fun More

Ashwood tree forest. 2nd tallest trees in the world. Magnificent giant tree fern ground canopy. Beautiful walks. Lots of wild bird life. It's worth a visit if passing through.

Great experience, would recommend the Dandenong ranges National Parks to everyone. Amazing sceneries, fresh air, nature and wild life are very beautifully and refreshing.

A must visit place.. great for short hikes. Can get steep at places but the walk along the forest is beautiful. There are picnic areas for sitting back and relaxing.

Excellent place to chill .BBQ or go on a trail. The parking at the Grants picnic ground is excellent. There is a nice Cafe and shop to investigate as well

Grants picnic ground is a beautiful spot to visit. Better to visit during the week when it's quitier and there's not as many tourists. Great for kids.