6 Best Sights in The Dandenong Ranges, Victoria

These glorious gardens are divided into 25 "garden rooms" that include the Maple Court, the Azalea Steps, and 100-year-old European beech trees. They were first established in the late 1890s as commercial and cut-flower gardens by the Woolrich family. The internationally famous gardens are dotted with artworks by local artists and the Diggers Garden Shop hosts workshops and sells seeds, plants, and books. A central terraced area, with manicured hedges and a sculpture of a huge vase, is stunning, as is the view across the mountain ranges from the garden café. The Seasons café serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea daily, with some ingredients coming from its own kitchen garden. A popular dish is the "Chatter Platter," a selection of cheeses, terrine, dips, garlic prawns, and salad (A$30 per person).

The expansive gardens contain the largest collection of rhododendrons in the southern hemisphere, with around 15,000 rhododendrons, and thousands more azaleas and camellias; the garden's premier season is spring, when they put on a show of spectacular white, mauve, yellow, and pink blooms. Several miles of walking trails lead to vistas over the Yarra Valley, and the gardens are a short stroll from Olinda village. Otherwise, jump on board the Garden Explorer minibus for a short, guided tour. For a perfect afternoon, combine your visit with tea and scones in the park's garden's café or back down in the village.

Fern gardens, moss-covered rocks, waterfalls, towering mountain ash, and 92 kiln-fired sculptures of Indigenous Australians and Australian native animals fill this 4-acre property on Mt. Dandenong. William Ricketts, who established the sanctuary in the 1930s, meant it to stand as an embodiment of his philosophy: that people must act as custodians of the natural environment as Australia's Indigenous people have for many millennia. Take an audio tour around the gardens (A$5) or download the podcast (free).

Azaleas, camellias, and hydrangeas spill down the hillsides in this 6-acre, English-style garden. While at its most colorful in spring, when the flowers are in bloom, and in autumn, when the trees turn gold and yellow, it is also beautiful in winter with a touch of snow. It's located just 8 km (5 miles) north of Belgrave in the little forest settlement of Sherbrooke, where whipbird calls echo through the trees.

This gleaming narrow-gauge steam train, based 46 km (28 miles) from Healesville in the town of Belgrave, runs on a line originally built in the early 1900s to open up the Dandenong Ranges to 20th-century pioneers. It's a great way to see the foothill landscapes. Daily trips between Belgrave and Emerald Lake pass through picturesque forests and over spectacular wooden trestle bridges. The 13-km (8-mile) trip takes an hour; it's another hour if you continue to the historic town of Gembrook. There are also on-board lunch and train-and-picnic packs, plus special music and children's events, and the new, architecturally impressive visitor center includes a café and interactive activities sharing the little train's long history.

This lookout at the top of Mt. Dandenong has breathtaking views over Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula and Port Phillip Bay. You can picnic or barbecue on the grounds, eat at the bistro (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), or stroll along the pleasant English Garden Walk while the kids get lost in the hedge maze (additional entry fee). Other fun attractions include a Wishing Tree and the Giant's Chair. Bistro open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. On Sunday, book ahead for its popular roast lunch and afternoon teas: the lookout charges a gate fee upon entrance.