Day trip from Melbourne to the Dandenong Ranges
By Vroom Team • Reviewed 13 Jul 2026
First-time visitors often find themselves overwhelmed by Melbourne’s range of sights and sometimes don’t realise how much its surrounds have to offer, and if there’s one slightly-out-of-town option that’s worth making time for, it’s the Dandenong Ranges.
Beginning under an hour to the east of Melbourne, where the suburbs give way to steep volcanic hills covered in Mountain Ash — the world’s tallest flowering tree — the Dandenong Ranges deliver a green and relaxing getaway under an hour out of downtown. Boasting cool air — a welcome escape during Melbourne’s scorching summers — you’ll find a heritage steam railway, a lakeside park built for picnics, Melbourne’s most popular bushwalk, and more.
While you could tick off the highlights in a rushed half day, we recommend giving the hills a full one, and if you rent a car with VroomVroomVroom you can set your own timetable rather than be constrained in a tour bus. Prefer a campervan? You can also hire a motorhome in Melbourne for your Dandenong Ranges day trip.
Take a ride on Puffing Billy
Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most popular steam train rides, and if you’re looking for an authentic heritage railway, you’re in the right place as this one still runs on its original mountain track from Belgrave to Gembrook.
Kept alive by a small army of volunteers, trains depart from Belgrave three to four times daily depending on conditions, with the Belgrave to Lakeside leg running every day and extra journeys, Belgrave to Gembrook among them, added from Friday to Sunday. Pre-booking is essential, so be sure to book your seats before you leave.
Picnic at Emerald Lake Park
Ideal for families seeking out a somewhat lazy day, Emerald Lake Park pairs naturally with the train — you can explore the lakeside and settle in for a picnic either before or after your ride. Assets include BBQ facilities, plenty of picnic tables, a wading pool, playground facilities, and there’s even paddle boats for hire.
If you’re planning on making a weekend day of it, we recommend claiming a table as early as practical as they do go fast, but once you’ve got that sorted out, letting the afternoon sort itself out couldn’t be easier.
Climb the 1,000 Steps
It’s one thing to view the forests from afar, but get up close and personal and they enter a whole new level of appeal. The Dandenong Ranges host walking trails suitable for most levels of ambition — or ability — from easy strolls of under one kilometre through to an around 20 kilometre hike (one-way). The most popular of them all though, Melbourne’s most popular bushwalk, is the 1,000 Steps Walk, also known as the Kokoda Memorial Walk.
Officially the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, this hike climbs through rainforest in the Ferntree Gully corner of the national park, and on any given morning you’ll share it with all manner of outdoor enthusiasts, and as most of the tracks are pram friendly this one makes for a great family excursion. Resident lyrebirds, wallabies and wombats feature as frequent sightings, further sweetening the deal.
Chase waterfalls and lookouts
A quieter reward of the Dandenongs is the network of waterfalls and lookouts scattered through the forest, and reached by even easier walks. While Olinda Falls and Sherbrooke Falls are both best after rain, the former is worth the detour in any weather — the little creek cascading into a gully deep in the Sherbrooke Forest, and reached through some of the tallest trees in the country, is a spectacular wander.
For longer views, Kalorama Lookout and Burkes Lookout deliver commanding outlooks over Melbourne and the Yarra Valley, and picnic grounds including both One Tree Hill and Grants give you somewhere to relax while taking them in.
Wander the villages of Mount Dandenong
No trip to the ranges is complete without its three main villages — Mount Dandenong, Olinda and Sassafras — dotted within two kilometres of each other along the ridge. Each earns its keep differently, and the honest answer to “which village should we visit?” is all three, since the drive between them will barely warm your engine.
The atmosphere along the ridge has been leaving visitors refreshed and revitalised for generations, and if you haven’t wandered a gallery in Olinda or lingered over scones in Sassafras, now is the time to do so. Our personal advice is to save the villages for mid-afternoon of your visit, as that’s when the walkers will have earned their cake, and the light through the trees turns golden.
Getting there from Melbourne
Just 40 kilometres to the east, the Dandenong Ranges are an easy drive from Melbourne’s CBD, making for a trip short enough that you can be walking under the big trees within the hour of picking up your keys from your Melbourne rental car depot. If you’d prefer a closer starting point, you can rent a car in Dandenong or even Ferntree Gully.
If Melbourne is your starting point, once you leave the freeway, the roads narrow and gently ribbon through a hill-country famous for its forest, it’s a drive so pretty be sure to keep your eyes on the road, take your time, and take the corners gently.
If this is your first time driving in Victoria, our Melbourne driving tips cover the local quirks — think trams and hook turns — before you head for the hills.
When should you visit?
The short answer is whenever you can, because the Dandenong Ranges typically work year-round. If the waterfalls are your main motivator, it should come as no surprise that these are best after rain, making the cooler (and wetter) months the pick of the bunch. If hiking is more your thing, clear winter mornings tend to serve the lookouts best, though be sure to pack warmer clothes as it can be a good deal cooler than down on the Melbourne plains.
Weather aside, weekends and holiday seasons bring the crowds to Puffing Billy and the picnic grounds, and matters can get pretty congested to say the least. If your plans allow for a weekday visit, you’ll have more of the forest to yourself, and, once you get out of the city, hopefully lighter traffic.
VroomVroomVroom recommends
Before anything else, we recommend booking your Puffing Billy tickets in advance, especially at busy times of the year. That aside, we say the Dandenong Ranges is certainly worth a full day, and while you can certainly take in the highlights with a half-day trip, it will be a rushed experience.
With a full day however, you can catch the train in the morning, picnic at Emerald Lake Park afterwards, then spend the afternoon hiking and/or at the ridge villages. If you want to walk the 1,000 Steps, early morning is best — both for a more comfortable temperature and a better chance of spotting native wildlife.
Compare deals and pick up your rental car at Melbourne Airport with VroomVroomVroom, check trading days for the railway before you commit to a date, and leave room in the boot for whatever the Sassafras bakeries talk you into.
About the author
Vroom Team
VroomVroomVroom’s writing team brings together decades of writing expertise to share their insights into travelling around Australia by rental car. Let our team help you get the most out of your rental car experience.
