Snapshot
| Where | Forest hills on Melbourne's eastern edge, Victoria — about 40 km east of the CBD · Roughly 40 minutes' drive from central Melbourne with a clear run · Upper Ferntree Gully station is 1,200 m from the base of the 1000 Steps |
|---|---|
| Getting there | Sealed all the way via Eastern Freeway (M3), Springvale Road (Route 40) and Burwood Highway (Route 26), which becomes Mount Dandenong Tourist Road past Upper Ferntree Gully station; 2WD is fine and every picnic ground is car-accessible, but the Tourist Road is narrow and winding and slows quickly in wet or windy weather; the Belgrave line train reaches Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave |
| Best time | September–November and March–May — spring brings wildflowers to the drier slopes and full, green fern gullies; autumn brings colour in the planted gardens and cool, clear walking weather |
| Worst time | January–February and any day of total fire ban — summer heat and holiday crowds fill the 1000 Steps car park by 10am, the park closes on days of Extreme Fire Danger Rating or severe weather, and winter low cloud strips the view from the ridge lookouts |
| Time needed | One day for the 1000 Steps, Sherbrooke and a picnic ground; two to three days to add Olinda Falls, Doongalla and the long Valley Walk without rushing |
| Cost | No entry or vehicle fee is listed for the park in Parks Victoria's Fees and Charges Schedule 2025–27, and there is no camping to pay for; SkyHigh on Mount Dandenong is privately leased from Parks Victoria and sets its own entry charge |
| Facilities | Picnic grounds with tables and wood barbecues at Ferntree Gully, One Tree Hill, Stables (Doongalla), Olinda Falls, Valley and Eagle Nest; toilets at Olinda Falls Picnic Ground and Stables picnic ground; no fuel, no shops and no guaranteed drinking water inside the park (a tap is reported at Grants Picnic Ground); cafés and supplies in Ferntree Gully, Belgrave, Kallista, Sassafras and Olinda; mobile reception is patchy on forest tracks, main roads usually work |
| Best for | Melbourne day-walkers, forest and bird watchers, and families after a steep climb and a picnic ground |
| Difficulty |
2 of 5 — Moderate
Most circuits are short and well graded, but the signature 1000 Steps is a long steep stepped climb in humid forest, and the Valley Walk is steep and rocky in sections for prepared and experienced walkers only. |
Driving there? Car hire and what to check →
Dandenong Ranges National Park protects the steep, forested hills about 40 km east of Melbourne — the eroded core of an old volcanic caldera. Mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the world's tallest flowering tree, towers over wet southern and eastern slopes thick with tree ferns, while drier northern and western slopes carry open forest of messmate, stringybark and peppermint. Parks Victoria describes the park as an Aboriginal cultural landscape in the traditional Country of the Wurundjeri People, and the ranges are also acknowledged as Bunurong Country within the Kulin Nation.
There is no camping in the park and every walk is a day walk. What draws people is the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk — the 1000 Steps climbing from Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground through a fern gully in memory of the Kokoda Track Campaign — and Sherbrooke Forest, where superb lyrebirds work the leaf litter and the powerful owl, Australia's largest, hunts at dusk. Waterfalls at Olinda Falls and Sherbrooke run best after rain, picnic grounds are dotted along the ridge, and Puffing Billy's steam trains run through the foothills below.
Go if…
- You want tall wet forest, fern gullies and lyrebirds within an hour's drive of Melbourne
- You like a steep stepped climb with a memorial story attached — the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk is why many people come
- You'd rather day walk and sleep in a village with cafés and a fire than camp
- You're travelling by train — the Belgrave line puts you 1,200m from the base of the 1000 Steps
Skip it if…
- You want a wilderness overnight — there is no camping in the park and every walk here is a day walk
- You need quiet: the 1000 Steps and Sherbrooke are among the most-walked forest tracks in Victoria and car parks fill by 10am on weekends
- You want big open views — the forest is dense, and the ridge lookouts depend on clear weather; winter mist can remove the view altogether
- You're bringing a dog — they are not allowed anywhere in the park
What to expect
Reviewed
You reach the park on sealed road the whole way: the Eastern Freeway (M3), then Springvale Road and Burwood Highway, which becomes Mount Dandenong Tourist Road just past Upper Ferntree Gully station. From central Melbourne it is about 40 km and, with a clear run, roughly 40 minutes; the trip home down the hill on a Sunday evening takes longer than the trip in. The Tourist Road is a winding two-lane road through forest and villages with a 60 km/h limit, and it reacts quickly to rain and wind. If you would rather not drive, the Belgrave line serves Upper Ferntree Gully station, which sits 1,200 m from the base of the 1000 Steps, and Belgrave further up the line.
The forest closes over you quickly. Sherbrooke Forest is cool temperate rainforest and wet eucalypt forest — mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest flowering plant on earth, rising straight and branchless for most of its height above a dense understory of tree ferns, mosses and, in the wetter gullies, filmy ferns. The hills themselves are volcanic: the whole range is the eroded remnant of a Devonian-age caldera, its ash and lava left standing after softer surrounding rock wore away, which is why the ridge tops out at a few hundred metres while the plains to the west sit far below. On the drier northern and western slopes the forest opens out into messmate, stringybark and peppermint, and it is there that wildflowers come in spring. After rain the fern gullies are at their most vivid, moss dripping from every trunk, and both Olinda Falls and Sherbrooke Falls pick up flow at exactly the same time — so a wet week is not a wasted week here, provided you carry a waterproof layer and expect mud on the return legs.
The 1000 Steps is the reason most people turn up. From Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground, at the junction of Mount Dandenong Tourist Road and Burwood Highway, the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk climbs steeply up a creek line — step after step after step — with markers tied to the Kokoda Track Campaign of the Second World War. You come back down Lyrebird Track to the same car park, making a circuit of about 4.3km; Parks Victoria grades the climb as steep and publishes no time for it, and third-party trail lists rate the circuit moderate to hard. Around it sits a whole network of gentler tracks: the Eagle Nest Walk (3.0km, an hour, easy to moderate), the long Valley Walk (6.5km, 3.5 hours, steep and rocky in sections), the Sherbrooke Falls track and the Doongalla loops, all starting from picnic grounds with tables and wood barbecues.
The wildlife is why people keep coming back, and it rewards patience more than distance. Superb lyrebirds are the star: large ground-feeding birds that scratch through the leaf litter on the forest floor and sing from the slopes through winter, a male copying almost anything he hears, from kookaburras to camera shutters. Rest quietly at a track edge for ten minutes and wallabies and wombats show themselves; more than 30 mammal species are recorded in the park, though most are nocturnal and rarely seen. The powerful owl — Australia's largest owl — hunts possums through the tall timber at dusk, and crimson rosellas, kookaburras and a run of parrots and honeyeaters work the canopy by day. Parks Victoria asks visitors to keep their distance, stay on formed tracks and leave dogs at home, since disturbance is what pushes lyrebirds and owls out of the very forest people come to see. Lyrebird Track, which carries you back down from the 1000 Steps, is named for the bird, not for a person.
Beyond the tracks the ridge is a string of villages — Ferntree Gully and Belgrave at the bottom, Kallista, Sassafras, Olinda and Mount Dandenong along the top — with cafés, gardens and lookouts between the picnic grounds. Burkes Lookout, off Eyre Road near Mount Dandenong, opens west over Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and the You Yangs on a clear day, and Kalorama Lookout looks across to Silvan Reservoir; SkyHigh, at the summit, is privately leased from Parks Victoria and charges its own entry fee. Puffing Billy's narrow-gauge steam trains run from Belgrave through the forested foothills below the park. Watch the clock as you go: gate closing times vary by picnic ground and season, several closing as early as 4pm in the cooler months, and the whole park shuts on days of Extreme Fire Danger Rating or severe weather.
Where to stay
There is no camping in the park, so people base themselves in the villages strung along the ridge — Olinda, Sassafras, Kallista and Mount Dandenong — or down in Ferntree Gully and Belgrave near the 1000 Steps.
When bookings open: No park bookings are needed here: there is no camping and no permit system in Dandenong Ranges National Park. Village accommodation is private and books directly with each property, with weekends in spring and autumn the tightest. Official booking page. Checked 11 November 2026. Booking dates for every state.
| Stay | Guest rating | Best for | Distance | Style | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Loft In The Mill Boutique Accommodation | 9.1 / 10 (321 reviews, Booking.com) | Couples wanting village comfort within minutes of the ridge walks | Olinda, on the ridge beside the park's Olinda section | Boutique hotel rooms in a converted mill with a garden, terrace and free parking | Check rates |
| Holly Lodge | Not rated | Couples and small groups who want to be right against the park boundary | Kalorama, next to Dandenong Ranges National Park and about 7 minutes' drive from SkyHigh | Secluded suites and cottages with spa baths, free Wi-Fi and log fires in most cottages | Check rates |
| Nightcap at Ferntree Gully Hotel Motel | 8.5 / 10 (1,181 reviews, Booking.com) | Walkers who want the 1000 Steps at the door and a pub meal at night | About a 2-minute drive from the park boundary at Ferntree Gully | Motel rooms with an on-site bar and restaurant, air conditioning and parking | Check rates |
| Victoria House Motor Inn | 9.2 / 10 (202 reviews, Expedia) | Families and pet owners who need a practical base near the foothills | Near Dandenong Ranges National Park and SkyHigh Mount Dandenong | Three-star motor inn with a restaurant serving breakfast to dinner, free Wi-Fi and parking, pet friendly | Check rates |
| Lilydale Pine Hill Caravan Park | Not rated | Caravanners who want powered sites within reach of both the ranges and the Yarra Valley | Lilydale, at the foot of the ranges, about 8.7 km from Mount Dandenong | Caravan and camping park with powered and unpowered sites and cabins; the closest thing to camping near the park, since the park itself has none | Check rates |
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What to do here
8 walks & sights
Kokoda Track Memorial Walk (1000 Steps)
The signature walk, starting at Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground where Mount Dandenong Tourist Road meets Burwood Highway, and climbing steeply up a fern-lined creek line with markers tied to the Kokoda Track Campaign of the Second World War. The return runs down Lyrebird Track to the same car park. Dogs are not permitted on any part of it, and the car park is often full by 10am on weekend mornings — One Tree Hill Picnic Ground at the top is the alternative, or arrive by train for the 1,200m stroll from Upper Ferntree Gully station. The 4.3km figure comes from third-party trail lists; Parks Victoria publishes no distance or time.
Eagle Nest Walk
From Valley Picnic Ground, looping out by Boundary Track and Eagle Nest Road to the Eagle Nest Picnic Ground and back via Hermons Track and Georges Track. A good leg-stretcher that links two picnic grounds, both with picnic tables and wood barbecues. Vehicle access is currently banned at the Georges Track and Herman Track intersection because of unstable ground from a damaged culvert, but pedestrians and horse riders can still pass.
Valley Walk
The longest official circuit in the northern section, from Valley Picnic Ground through the forest above the Olinda and Silvan valleys. Parks Victoria grades it for prepared and experienced walkers only, and the surfaces are steep and rocky in places. Carry water and check the gate time at Valley Picnic Ground before you set out — it closes earlier than the others in the cooler months.
Sherbrooke Forest and Sherbrooke Falls
The classic Sherbrooke ground: mountain ash, tree ferns and superb lyrebirds on the forest floor, with the falls running best after rain. The Eastern Sherbrooke Forest Walk loops 7.1km and about two hours from Grants Picnic Ground past Lyrebird Walk, Neumann Road and the Hardy Creek crossing to Welch Track, and is steep and slippery on Paddy Road and Welch Track when wet. Grants Picnic Ground has toilets, picnic tables, barbecues, shelter and a water tap.
Olinda Falls
A short, satisfying waterfall walk from Olinda Falls Picnic Ground, where toilets sit beside the tables and wood barbecues. Falls Track climbs 300m to the top viewing platform, then drops 140m to the lower platform, and you return by Mechanics Track to make the circuit. The cascade is at its best after rain, when the ledges run full and the ferns drip; in a dry stretch it reduces to a trickle. Third-party trail lists quote anything from 600m to 1.6km return for this walk — the 1.2km, 30-minute circuit is Parks Victoria's own figure.
Doongalla Forest walks
The Doongalla section works well for a shorter day: the Stables Track Loop begins at the Stables picnic ground, about 700m from the Doongalla Homestead site, and climbs steeply to join Camelia Track. The longer Channel 10 and Camelia Loop runs from the top of the Doongalla Homestead car park by Rankin Track and Camellia Track. Both picnic grounds have tables and wood barbecues, and the Doongalla gates close in the evening at 6pm in daylight saving and 6pm or earlier outside it.
Burkes Lookout and the ridge lookouts
The best of the westward views: on a clear day you can pick out Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay, the You Yangs, the Kinglake Ranges, Mount Macedon, and the Bellarine and Mornington peninsulas. Kalorama Lookout looks the other way, across to Silvan Reservoir sitting on the floor of the old caldera. SkyHigh, at the top of Mount Dandenong, is privately leased from Parks Victoria and charges its own entry fee for its 360-degree platform.
Puffing Billy Railway
The ranges' most famous non-walking outing: a preserved narrow-gauge steam railway steaming out of Belgrave through the forested foothills below the park, with open-sided carriages on the classic runs to Menzies Creek and Lakeside. It pairs naturally with a morning on the 1000 Steps or at Sherbrooke, and Belgrave station is on the suburban train line, so you can leave the car behind. Check the railway's own service days and fares before you plan around it.
Dandenong Ranges National Park itineraries: 1, 2 or 3 days
3 plans
One day: the 1000 Steps and Sherbrooke Forest
- Morning. Leave Melbourne early — about 40km and roughly 40 minutes by the Eastern Freeway (M3), Springvale Road and Burwood Highway, or take the Belgrave line train to Upper Ferntree Gully station, 1,200m from the base of the steps. Walk the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk (1000 Steps) up from Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground and return down Lyrebird Track, a 4.3km circuit through fern gullies and mountain ash.
- Midday. Drive up Mount Dandenong Tourist Road to Sherbrooke and walk to Sherbrooke Falls, 2.4km return through the tall forest; the falls run best after rain, so a wet morning is not a lost one.
- Afternoon. Take the Eagle Nest Walk from Valley Picnic Ground — 3.0km, an hour, easy to moderate, looping past the Eagle Nest Picnic Ground and back by Hermons Track and Georges Track.
- Before you leave. Check the gate time for the picnic ground you used. Several gates close as early as 4pm in the cooler months, and the 1000 Steps car park is often full by 10am on weekend mornings — One Tree Hill Picnic Ground, at the top of the steps, is the alternative.
One long day, about 40km each way by car. There is no entry fee listed for the park and no camping in it, so day-trip it or book a room in Ferntree Gully, Belgrave or Olinda. Fill the tank before you climb the Tourist Road — there is no fuel in the park — and carry your own water.
Two days: add Olinda Falls and Doongalla
- Day 1. The 1000 Steps circuit in the morning, Sherbrooke Falls midday and the Eagle Nest Walk in the afternoon, as in the one-day plan.
- Day 2, morning. Olinda Falls, from Olinda Falls Picnic Ground — a 1.2km circuit of about 30 minutes, taking in Falls Track to the upper viewing platform and down to the lower platform before returning by Mechanics Track. Toilets are at the picnic ground, and the cascade runs best after rain.
- Day 2, afternoon. Doongalla Forest: the Stables Track Loop, 1.9km and 45 minutes from the Stables picnic ground past the Doongalla Homestead site, or the Channel 10 and Camelia Loop, 3.6km and 1.5 hours from the top of the Doongalla Homestead car park. Both picnic grounds have tables and wood barbecues.
Two nights in Olinda, Sassafras or Belgrave — there is no camping in the park. The second day is roughly 3km of walking across the two circuits. There is no entry fee listed for the park; carry your own water, and remember that vehicle access is currently banned at the Georges Track and Herman Track intersection near Olinda, though walkers can still pass.
Three days: the long circuit and the ridge
- Day 1. The 1000 Steps circuit, Sherbrooke Falls and the Eagle Nest Walk, as in the one-day plan.
- Day 2. Olinda Falls in the morning and the Doongalla loops in the afternoon, as in the two-day plan.
- Day 3, morning. The Valley Walk from Valley Picnic Ground — 6.5km and 3.5 hours, steep and rocky in sections, for prepared and experienced walkers only.
- Day 3, afternoon. Burkes Lookout, off Eyre Road near Mount Dandenong, for the view west over Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and the You Yangs, then down to Belgrave for the Puffing Billy steam railway through the foothill forest.
Three nights in one of the ridge villages. The three days stack the park's day walks — there is no camping to book and no entry fee listed. Fill up in Ferntree Gully or Belgrave before climbing the Tourist Road, check picnic-ground gate times before each afternoon walk, and watch the fire danger rating, because the whole park closes on days of Extreme Fire Danger Rating or severe weather.
Experiences worth booking
Dandenong Ranges Private Nature Day Tour from Melbourne
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From Melbourne: Puffing Billy Steam Train Experience
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Puffing Billy & Rainforest Tour from Melbourne
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Puffing Billy, Forest Trails and Yarra Valley Discovery Tour
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Puffing Billy And Healesville Sanctuary Scenic Tour
Check availability →Tours run by independent operators and booked on Viator. Booking links go to Viator, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are "from" figures in AUD, checked 2026-11-11.
Suggested gear for Dandenong Ranges National Park
18 items
- Water bottles or a hydration bladder Carry at least 2 litres per person on the walks.
- Water treatment tablets or a filter Treat creek and camping-area water before drinking.
- Sun hat, sunscreen (SPF 50+) and sunglasses
- Sturdy, broken-in walking shoes or boots
- Day pack (20–30 L)
- First aid kit, including blister care
- Insect repellent
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Lightweight rain jacket
- Personal locator beacon Mobile coverage is unreliable in remote parks.
- A warm fleece or insulated mid-layer The ranges sit about 5°C cooler than central Melbourne, Ferny Creek averages July maxima near 10°C, and the forest shade holds the damp even in summer.
- Gaiters or quick-dry walking trousers Fern undergrowth sheds water onto the track and the forest tracks go muddy after rain, especially on the steep descents off the 1000 Steps and down Welch Track.
- Shoes with deep lugs and real grip The stepped descents and wooden stair treads are slick in the wet, and Parks Victoria grades the waterfall and forest walks for boots rather than runners.
- Binoculars, and a long lens if you have one Superb lyrebirds feed close to the track but the powerful owl and the canopy parrots sit high in the mountain ash, and the light under the canopy is dim.
- Offline maps downloaded and a charged power bank Mobile reception is patchy on the forest tracks around Sherbrooke, Doongalla and Olinda, and track junctions like Hermons and Georges are easier with a map in hand.
- A public transport card The Belgrave line train puts you 1,200m from the base of the 1000 Steps at Upper Ferntree Gully, which sidesteps the weekend car park squeeze entirely.
- Picnic supplies and a thermos The picnic grounds have tables and wood barbecues but no shops or reliable water inside the park, and the village cafés can be a drive away from where you end up.
- Folding walking poles The 1000 Steps is a long stepped descent on the way back down and the Valley Walk is steep and rocky in sections, which is where tired knees complain.
How this compares
Dandenong Ranges National Park vs Yarra Ranges National Park
Yarra Ranges National Park, about 90 minutes north-east of Melbourne, is the Dandenongs' bigger, wilder sibling: mountain ash forest on a grand scale, the Rainforest Gallery platform 15 metres above the forest floor, Lady Talbot Drive and the Mount Donna Buang lookout tower at 1,245 metres. It is less crowded, further from the city and far less served by cafés and villages at the track heads, and in winter its roads can be closed by snow. Choose Yarra Ranges for taller forest, longer drives and fewer people; choose Dandenong Ranges for stepped climbs, picnic grounds and a village lunch within an hour of the city.
- Difficulty
- 3 of 5 — Challenging
- Access
- Sealed highways to the gateways; alpine roads subject to seasonal closures and winter conditions
- Best for
- Tall forest drives · longer walks · quieter trailheads
Dandenong Ranges National Park vs Kinglake National Park
Kinglake National Park sits on the Great Dividing Range an hour or so north of Melbourne, with fern gullies, waterfall walks and regenerating forest after the 2009 fires. It is rougher around the edges and quieter than the Dandenongs, with fewer facilities and less shade on the exposed ridges. Choose Kinglake for solitude and bushy, less-manicured walking close to town; choose Dandenong Ranges for the Kokoda Memorial Walk, mature mountain ash forest and villages with a coffee at the end.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed roads to the main picnic grounds and lookouts; some internal roads unsealed
- Best for
- Quiet day walks · fire-recovery forest · picnic grounds
Dandenong Ranges National Park vs Mornington Peninsula National Park
Mornington Peninsula National Park, about 90 minutes south of Melbourne, swaps forest for the Bass Strait coast — surf beaches, rock platforms, coastal heath and the sort of sunset the ranges can only promise through gaps in the trees. It is a completely different day: swimming and ocean walking rather than stepped climbs under a canopy, and exposed to wind in every season. Choose Mornington Peninsula for beaches, surf and open horizons; choose Dandenong Ranges for fern gullies, lyrebirds and shade on a hot day.
- Difficulty
- 2 of 5 — Moderate
- Access
- Sealed roads to the coast; short walks from beach car parks
- Best for
- Swimming · coastal walks · sunset and surf
Before you go
- There is no camping in the park — every walk is a day walk, so book a room or cabin in Olinda, Sassafras, Kallista, Mount Dandenong, Belgrave or Ferntree Gully instead
- Gate hours vary by picnic ground and season: Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground (1000 Steps) is open 6am–9pm daily, Doongalla and One Tree Hill run 6am–9pm in daylight saving and 6am–6pm outside it, and Valley and Eagle Nest picnic grounds close as early as 4pm — check the park page before an afternoon walk
- Fill up before you climb — there is no fuel anywhere in the park, and the last bowsers are in Ferntree Gully, Upper Ferntree Gully and Belgrave
- Leave the dog at home: dogs are not permitted anywhere in the park, to protect lyrebirds, powerful owls and other wildlife
- The park closes on days of Extreme Fire Danger Rating and during severe weather events, including the 1000 Steps. It is in the Central fire district — check Fire Danger Ratings and total fire bans at cfa.vic.gov.au or the VicEmergency Hotline 1800 226 226
- Night deer control runs on selected nights, between 4:00 pm and 7:00 am, until 19 November 2026, with some park areas temporarily closed and signed at access points; check the Parks Victoria conditions page or call 13 1963 before an evening walk
- Vehicle access is banned at the Georges Track and Herman Track intersection in the Olinda–Silvan area because of unstable ground from a damaged culvert; pedestrians and horse riders can still pass
- The Margaret Lester Forest Walk at Grants Picnic Ground no longer meets the all-abilities trail standard — uneven surfaces and drainage issues make sections difficult for some users, and an upgrade is planned with no date set
When to go
seasons & the hard months
Spring and autumn are the sweet spot. From September to November the fern gullies are at their greenest and the drier northern and western slopes carry wildflowers through the messmate and stringybark forest; the same months bring bigger crowds to the 1000 Steps, so go midweek or early. From March to May the planted gardens on the ridge turn colour, the walking is cool and clear, and the villages are quieter. Summer is not a dead loss, but January and February bring heat, holiday crowds and fire risk: the park closes on days of Extreme Fire Danger Rating or severe weather, and the 1000 Steps car park is often full by 10am on weekend mornings.
Winter is damp, cold and underrated. Ferny Creek records average July daytime maxima of about 10°C and overnight minima of about 5°C, and the ranges run about 5°C cooler than central Melbourne at the best of times — so bring a warm layer, not just a rain jacket. The trade-off is mist that can sit on the ridge and take the view off Burkes Lookout, muddy forest tracks and shorter gate hours, with several picnic grounds closing as early as 4pm. In exchange you get the forest nearly to yourself, lyrebirds singing from the slopes, and waterfalls that run better than they do in February. Average January maxima sit around 24°C, so summer walking is warm rather than brutal — it is the fire danger and the crowds that make it hard work.
Questions
6 answers
No entry or vehicle fee is listed for the park in Parks Victoria's Fees and Charges Schedule 2025–27, so the walks and picnic grounds are free to use. The one paid attraction on the ridge is SkyHigh at Mount Dandenong, which is privately leased from Parks Victoria and sets its own entry charge. Puffing Billy Railway tickets are bought separately from the railway.
No. There is no camping in Dandenong Ranges National Park — Parks Victoria's camping listings carry no campgrounds for it, and all of its walks are comfortably done in a day. Base yourself in Olinda, Sassafras, Kallista, Mount Dandenong, Belgrave or Ferntree Gully; the nearest caravan park is at Lilydale, at the foot of the ranges.
It is a genuinely steep, stepped climb through humid forest, with a return loop down Lyrebird Track making a circuit of about 4.3km. Parks Victoria grades the climb as steep and publishes no time; third-party trail lists rate the circuit moderate to hard. Take it slowly, carry water, and note that dogs are not permitted and the car park is often full by 10am on weekend mornings.
Yes. Trains on the Belgrave line reach Upper Ferntree Gully station, which is a 1,200m stroll from the base of the 1000 Steps, and Belgrave further up the line for Puffing Billy and Sherbrooke. Buses connect the ridge villages. Check current public transport fares before you go, and remember that gate closing times still apply if you are walking late in the day.
No. Dogs are not permitted anywhere in Dandenong Ranges National Park, and Parks Victoria asks visitors to leave them at home rather than in vehicles. The rule protects the park's wildlife, including superb lyrebirds and the powerful owl. Some nearby gardens and village walks outside the park boundary have their own rules — check locally.
The park is open every day including weekends and public holidays, but it closes on days when the Fire Danger Rating is Extreme or above and during severe weather events — that includes the 1000 Steps at Ferntree Gully. Individual picnic grounds also have gate hours, and night deer control on selected nights closes some areas temporarily. Check Fire Danger Ratings at cfa.vic.gov.au, and park conditions at parks.vic.gov.au or on 13 1963.
Nearby & next
Official information
Always check current alerts before you travel.