Round Bird Food & Wine Merchants, formerly known as Round Bird Can’t Fly, is a Lilydale cafe with more to explore than breakfast and coffee. The Main Street business combines daytime meals, a small local wine...
Dandenong Ranges Attractions
The Dandenong Ranges are one of Victoria’s classic day-trip and weekend destinations, combining towering mountain ash forests, historic attractions, cool-climate gardens, scenic villages and some of Melbourne’s best-known walking tracks. The current Dandenong Ranges Point inventory includes Puffing Billy Railway, Dandenong Ranges National Park, the 1000 Steps, Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden, SkyHigh Mount Dandenong, Sherbrooke Falls, Emerald Lake Park and attractions across Belgrave, Olinda, Sassafras, Emerald and the surrounding hills.
The region’s appeal comes from that mix of nature and heritage. Visitors can ride a steam train through fern gullies, walk beneath huge mountain ash trees, explore landscaped gardens, enjoy panoramic lookouts or spend time browsing the cafes and shops of the mountain villages.
Explore Dandenong Ranges Attractions
- Puffing Billy Railway – Ride the historic steam railway through forests, fern gullies and hill towns between Belgrave, Emerald and Gembrook.
- National park and forest walks – Explore Dandenong Ranges National Park, Sherbrooke Forest, the 1000 Steps and numerous shorter walking tracks.
- Gardens and seasonal colour – Visit Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden, Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens and other cool-climate gardens throughout the hills.
- Lookouts and mountain scenery – Take in broad views from SkyHigh Mount Dandenong and other elevated points across the ranges.
- Villages and family attractions – Explore Belgrave, Olinda, Sassafras, Emerald and Gembrook for cafes, shops, playgrounds, museums and family-friendly experiences.
Browse the listings below to discover Dandenong Ranges attractions, gardens, walks, villages and places to visit across the hills east of Melbourne.
Round Bird Food & Wine Merchants
Lilydale, VIC
Dudley’s
Olinda, VICDudley’s is a restaurant in the centre of Olinda, offering woodfired pizza, pasta, Mediterranean-style meals and Devonshire tea. It suits a sit-down lunch or dinner during a mountain-village visit, with a broader...
Sir Paz Estate
Wandin East, VICSir Paz Estate is a vineyard, cellar door and woodfire restaurant in Wandin East, overlooking the southern Yarra Valley. A visit can centre on a guided wine flight or a longer lunch, with the vineyard outlook and wood...
Fortnums
Sassafras, VICFortnums is a daytime restaurant and high-tea venue in Sassafras, with a light-filled conservatory-style dining room and garden surroundings. Its familiar lunch dishes, scones and more formal high-tea service provide...
Sooki Lounge Belgrave
Belgrave, VICSooki Lounge is an independent live music and nightlife venue on Burwood Highway in central Belgrave. Touring acts, local gigs and DJ nights give it a different role from the village’s daytime cafes, with a...
Ranges at Olinda
Olinda, VICRanges at Olinda is a village cafe at 5 Olinda-Monbulk Road, with indoor and outdoor seating, all-day breakfast and a broader lunch menu. It is a useful stop for a substantial meal between garden visits or for coffee...
Dine Divine
Sassafras, VICDine Divine is a cafe, restaurant and function venue in Sassafras, set inside a converted church at 345 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. Its setting makes a meal feel different from a quick village takeaway: visitors can...
Mist @ Olinda
Olinda, VICMist @ Olinda is a wedding and private-event venue within the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden on The Georgian Road. Its garden setting, indoor reception space and outdoor areas make it a venue to inspect and book for an...
Ripe Cafe
Sassafras, VICRipe Cafe, also presented as Ripe Sassafras, is a daytime cafe and restaurant in a period building among the village trees. Breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake make it useful either as the main meal stop in a day around...
The Deli Platter
Olinda, VICThe Deli Platter is an Olinda delicatessen and cafe, also presented as The Olinda Deli, where you can sit down for coffee and a freshly prepared meal or collect food for a picnic in the hills. Its made-to-order platters...
Miss Marple’s Tearoom
Sassafras, VICMiss Marple’s Tearoom is a traditional English-style tearoom in Sassafras, known for its generous scones, homemade raspberry jam and Agatha Christie-inspired decor. The Tudor-style building, floral furnishings and...
The Independent Gembrook
Gembrook, VICThe Independent Gembrook is a modern Argentinian restaurant and bar in a restored former garage on Main Street. Chef Mauro Callegari’s Argentinian and Italian background shapes a menu that combines smaller sharing...
Destiny Point Cafe
Kalorama, VICDestiny Point Cafe is a daytime coffee, light-meal and Devonshire-tea stop in Kalorama, opposite the Silvan Reservoir lookout area. Its position on Mount Dandenong Tourist Road makes it convenient when exploring the...
What are the top attractions in the Dandenong Ranges?
Popular attractions include Puffing Billy Railway, Dandenong Ranges National Park, the 1000 Steps, Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden and SkyHigh Mount Dandenong.
What are the best Dandenong Ranges attractions for families?
Family-friendly choices include Puffing Billy, SkyHigh Mount Dandenong, Emerald Lake Park, playgrounds, picnic areas and easy forest walks around the main villages.
What can you do for free in the Dandenong Ranges?
Popular free attractions include Dandenong Ranges National Park, the 1000 Steps, Sherbrooke Forest, Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens and many public walking tracks, picnic grounds and lookouts.
Which towns are best to visit in the Dandenong Ranges?
Belgrave, Olinda, Sassafras, Emerald, Gembrook and Mount Dandenong are among the main visitor areas, each offering a different mix of attractions, gardens, cafes, shops and outdoor experiences.