THE town of Belgrave — the gateway town to Dandenong Ranges — has a mind of its own.
Coming from sunny Melbourne, the coastal capital of the Australian state of Victoria some 35 km away, my wife and I expected the weather in this forested mountain range to be generally mild and wet.
But the unexpected happens. It begins to rain.
It drizzles as we find a car park. Pondering what the trip would be like in this weather, we put on our waterproof jackets and hats and walk to the train station for the next leg of the journey — hopping onto a vintage steam train called the Puffing Billy.
ON A CHOO-CHOO TRAIN
The Puffing Billy is a narrow gauge train. Narrow gauge refers to its railway track of only 762cm compared with the 1.43m width of standard railway tracks. Thus the locomotive and carriage are smaller.
It began operating in 1900 as rural train services for timber and the farming community in the Dandenong Range region until a landslide cut the railway line in 1953.
Commissioned back into service by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society, it now operates as a heritage train providing leisure trips to tourists. The train service is actually run by volunteers from the society. You will be struck by the rustic atmosphere of Belgrave Station — the building, ornamental lamps, clock and benches — the minute you walk into the building.
Cloudy skies and a drizzle that soaks the station’s platform also add a sense of nostalgia. As the train pulls away from station, we get the first taste of Dandenong Range’s forests and gullies when the train passes through Sherbrook Forest and crosses the wooden Trestle Bridge over the creek. The rain then subsides. So we enjoy the ride on the open-sided carriage.
The best way to enjoy this ride is by sitting on the window ledge and with legs dangling out.
The train goes through forest and fern gullies with a view of rolling farmlands, two more wooden trestle bridges and six stations in between. At Lakeside Station, which is the halfway point of the railway, the train pauses for the crew to fill up the steam boiler. Some of the passengers end their journey here. We however continue the journey all the way to the last station in Gembrook, an attractive small town.
While waiting for the train to return to Belgrave, we have time to walk around and enjoy a light meal of cauliflower pie and lamington cake in the town’s bakery cafe. It is early evening when we arrive back in Belgrave. Overall, we have spent a day covering the Dandenong Ranges.
ON A WINDING ROAD
Due to its proximity to Melbourne, Dandenong Ranges is always a popular day trip destination. This set of low mountain ranges consists of rolling hills, steep valleys and gullies is covered by a temperate rainforest, dominated by tall mountain ash trees with a ferns undergrowth. For sure seeing the view of the Ranges during the train ride is not enough.
The next day, we drive to Dandenong Ranges, following the C145 Road, better known as Mount Dandenong Tourist Road.
Along this winding mountainous road through the temperate rainforest are several attractions such as quaint little towns, parks, hiking trails and waterfalls.
Our first stop is Sassafras, a quaint little town that still retains its old charm. A holiday destination for Melburnians, this town is accustomed to receiving visitors since the late 19th century. With only a handful of shops, we initially thought it would take just 10 minutes to check them out. But we end up spending an hour because of the uniqueness of each shop.
Our attention is first drawn to the two-storey Tudor-style building that houses Miss Marple’s Tearoom, a restaurant dedicated to Agatha Christie’s novel character, Miss Marple.
Other niche shops include Geppetto’s Workshop which is a toy shop stocked with a variety of traditional toys such as wooden toys, marionette and hand puppets. Meanwhile, the aromas of candies and sweets pull us into the world of confectioneries at Sassafras Sweet Co shop.
From Sassafras, we detour to Grants Picnic Ground to experience the Dandenong Ranges’ forest. It is a park situated within the Sherbrook Forest where the tall trees of mountain ash species are dominant. This park however is more famous for its birds which visitors are allowed to feed.
When we arrive, we catch glimpses of white feathered birds among the foliage. These Sulphur-crested cockatoos dominate the park. They are playful too. When we walk down the path from the car park, they fly low over our heads or around us. Their behaviour around humans is due to years of being handfed by visitors. They know visitors tend to bring seeds for them.
The Grants Picnic Ground consist of picnic facilities of benches, tables and shade, and a shop and cafe called Grants on Sherbrook. We start off by browsing through souvenirs. The bird feeding activity is only available at a cordoned area.
Visitors have to buy a token from the shop’s counter before they’re allowed into the feeding area with a plate of seed. Apart from Sulphur-crested cockatoo, there’s Rossela, tiny parrot with brilliant red plumage, and their bigger cousin with equally brilliant colour, the King parrot.
There also several trails adjacent from the park. These well-defined trails are long and short through the forest or to the waterfalls. We take a short loop trail called the Hardy Gully Nature Walk.
After leaving the Grants Picnic Ground, we reenter the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. We’re still within the Dandenong Ranges because our next stop is William Rickett’s Sanctuary, a ferny forest glade with mystical sculptures.
We see clay sculptures of Aboriginal people that seemed to have merged with the surrounding plant-life. There are 92 sculptures in this sanctuary. All are the works of William Rickett, an Australian potter and sculptor who created this sanctuary in 1934. His artworks of kiln-baked clay sculptures are dedicated to the indigenous people and their spirituality and stewardship of the land.
His works was inspired by his sojourn into Central Australia where he lived with the Arrente and Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal people. His experience with the indigenous people of Australia also influenced his philosophy. He believes that all humans are stewards of the land, just like the Aborigines.
There’s an undeniable tranquility when we walk through the sanctuary’s path, inspecting each sculpture. Rickett, without a doubt, manages to renew our spirit by connecting us with nature.
We then continue driving towards Kalorama town, at the end of Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. The Kalorama Park is known for its lookout point called Five Ways that provides breathtaking views of the forested mountain slopes. And it is here that we end our Mount Dandenong Ranges discovery.