Our second weekend in Melbourne Australia began with a quick trip back to the Victoria Market for some picnic supplies. We decided to go hiking in the Dandenong Ranges. They're a range of high hills about an hour east of Melbourne. We headed out in our little ugly green rental car. This thing was ugly. Ugly Green. As in no-one-ever-should-ever-have-painted-a-car-this-color green. It did manage the trip out the expressway quickly though and we began to drive further up into the hills.
The Dandenongs are actually 5 individual parks (some national parks), a bunch of smaller forests and sanctuaries with various villages all stuck together to make one big region. Since the whole area encloses several small towns, it's not actually uninhabited. We drove up on one of the main mountain roads to Olinda, which is where two of the main roads cross. The drive up was pretty and very twisty. Good thing we didn't blink because the town wan't very big. And this was one of the bigger towns.
Since it was already early afternoon, we stopped at a random roadside B&B. This region has a ton of little hotels and B&Bs. The main industry around here is "quaint". That B&B told us to go back into town and stop at another B&B in an old mill that ran a booking service. We turned around and headed back into Olinda and found The Loft In The Mill right at the main crossroads. It was tricky finding a parking spot, but managed to find the main reception area. We decided not to book anything immediately and instead wait for evening to increase our negotiating power. We grabbed some hiking maps and headed out to find a spot for an afternoon hike.
We chose a spot on the map called Eagle's Nest thinking it would offer good views and be high up. On the way we passed an arboretum that was pretty but decided to find something less manicured. Also Eagle's Nest would be higher up, right? Evidently eagles in Australia nest in the lowlands or at least not at the top of the hill as the road went down the ridge pretty steeply. We also almost immediately ran out of pavement and the road turned into dirt. Which thanks to all the recent rain, was actually muddy. After a couple kilometers, we hit the turn off for Eagle's Nest, but found out it was closed for construction (and even more downhill). We drove down the dirt "road" and found a spot where someone else had pulled off the road. We figured there must be a trail head. We were right.
The trail itself started on the far side of a little creek and then split to go around the bottom of a hill. We chose the right fork semi-randomly and started around the hill counterclockwise along the muddy trail. Since we still had about 3 hours of daylight, we set a leisurely pace. We decided to walk uphill first so we decided to take the first trail that went up (since Eagles Nest had not offered the overlook we were hoping). The first trail we came to was a fire road and it went straight up the hill to our left. We started up the steep, muddy hill. I quickly became concerned about getting back down. I had visions of sliding down on my bum and ending up full of mud. We turned around. Thanks to Matthew for support, we made it down, safely on our feet. We decided to continue along the base of the hill and hope that it was less muddy.
This path was more like a trail and less of a road (which was good). The trail wound through a forest and even had some elevation. We were able to see on the top of a nice hill as well as down along a creek over the course of the couple hour walk. The forest around us was almost all gum (eucylptus) trees with a tall canopy and leafy undergrowth of amazing ferns. It smelled wonderful. The whole forest was well watered, so everything was green.
We liked the fun moss that grew on the top of tree stumps and fence posts. It liked us too and even gave us a smile. Such a neat place.
We did not run into any animals but it was fun to listen to the multitude of different bird calls.
Due to Matthew's great navigation, we ended up waking in a loop (not too bad for not having a map). It was a nice walk. Back at the car we grabbed a quick snack and tried not to get the car too muddy (even though a bit of mud might have been an improvement on the car color).
On our way out of the forest we passed a sign that said Berry Farm. We had to stop. They advertise berries year round. Unfortunately, Australia does not grow berries in winter and therefore there were no fresh berries for sale. They did, however, have frozen berries. We purchased some kumquats and 1/2 kilo (the smallest quantity they would sell) of frozen raspberries. If we must...we must. We consoled each other over the tragedy of being forced to buy 1/2 kilo of raspberries. We were not heading to a freezer anytime soon...so naturally we had to consume them as we drove. YUM!
Now that we were armed with berries, the next order of business was finding a bed for the evening. We stopped at several B&Bs to try and find a place to stay. One place was situated on the top of a hill and we stopped to watch the sunset through the trees. It was beautiful. The raspberries made the sunset even more spectacular. :)
We had no luck finding a place that had vacancy and were directed back to Olinda and Loft in the Mill because they have a booking service. They recognized us when we walked back and were happy that we did not get lost in the woods or attached by drop bears (a very concerning thing in the wilds of Australia). The nice thing was that they did have a booking service, the bad thing is that they had in their heads the type of place that one desired and pretty much pushed you in that direction.
We ended up in a VERY nice place for the night but it was WAY more than we needed or wanted. Oh well. When we arrived, the parking lot was full and there were LOTS of people dressed up in dresses and uniforms in the lobby. The hotel was hosting a fire brigade event. I felt out of place in my muddy hiking clothes.
We checked in and went up to our room. The "honeymoon suite" was almost the size of our apartment and had the largest 4 poster bed that I had ever slept in in my life. It was quite amazing. The room was also freezing. They apparently do not heat the rooms ahead of time. We put the heat on full blast and went downstairs to eat.
. We ended up sitting in the bar area because it had a wood burning fire. One of the chiefs of the fire brigade thought our fire was too small, in his professional opinion, and thew more wood on the fire. He kept checking on us...it was cute. At one point he ordered the staff to get us more wood. :)
A couple we met and spent most of the evening chatting with (not with the fire brigade) mentioned that the Rhododendron Garden was worth a visit...even in the winter. So after breakfast, we headed back to Olinda to the garden. We were both impressed. The park is about 20 hectacres, which is a decent sized garden.
There was not tons in bloom but what was impressed us. The colors of rhododendrons were varied and beautiful. One of my favorites was the beautiful camila tree that had various colors of flowers from bright pink to soft purple. I also loved the Winter Gold tree. It stood out and even glowed even with no leaves. Some of the other plants including the banksias It was a great garden.
The garden is known for the resident birds as well. The Superb Lyrebird mimics the sounds of other birds. They are amazing! They also do a dance to attract mates. They look like large chickens with long tails and really strong, large legs. Wondering down a path, we almost stumbled over 2 lyerbirds...one on either side of the path. We were able to watch the bird dig at the ground, looking for grubs to munch. A male bird ran across the path. It was exciting.
Holland Honeyeater is a type of bird that frequents the gardens around the bottle brushes and banksias. They were quite territorial and it was fun to watch the birds interact with each other. had one guy that decided to model in my photo shoot...I was excited. I think he would like his angles and the composition of his pictures (especially considering I do not have a whomping zoom lens).
We also enjoyed watching the surperb fairy wrens (and yes the surperb is part of their official name). They are little small birds that have straight large tails that stick up another half their body size. The male surperb fairy wren is shocking bright blue. He was gorgeous but bounced around so much that photos were not possible.
I was pleasantly surprised with the garden. It would be amazing in the spring (Sept/Oct) when the azaleas all bloom.
We enjoyed our time in the Dandenong Ranges.
Since it was already early afternoon, we stopped at a random roadside B&B. This region has a ton of little hotels and B&Bs. The main industry around here is "quaint". That B&B told us to go back into town and stop at another B&B in an old mill that ran a booking service. We turned around and headed back into Olinda and found The Loft In The Mill right at the main crossroads. It was tricky finding a parking spot, but managed to find the main reception area. We decided not to book anything immediately and instead wait for evening to increase our negotiating power. We grabbed some hiking maps and headed out to find a spot for an afternoon hike.
 |
| Arboretum View |
The trail itself started on the far side of a little creek and then split to go around the bottom of a hill. We chose the right fork semi-randomly and started around the hill counterclockwise along the muddy trail. Since we still had about 3 hours of daylight, we set a leisurely pace. We decided to walk uphill first so we decided to take the first trail that went up (since Eagles Nest had not offered the overlook we were hoping). The first trail we came to was a fire road and it went straight up the hill to our left. We started up the steep, muddy hill. I quickly became concerned about getting back down. I had visions of sliding down on my bum and ending up full of mud. We turned around. Thanks to Matthew for support, we made it down, safely on our feet. We decided to continue along the base of the hill and hope that it was less muddy. 
This path was more like a trail and less of a road (which was good). The trail wound through a forest and even had some elevation. We were able to see on the top of a nice hill as well as down along a creek over the course of the couple hour walk. The forest around us was almost all gum (eucylptus) trees with a tall canopy and leafy undergrowth of amazing ferns. It smelled wonderful. The whole forest was well watered, so everything was green.We liked the fun moss that grew on the top of tree stumps and fence posts. It liked us too and even gave us a smile. Such a neat place.
We did not run into any animals but it was fun to listen to the multitude of different bird calls.
Due to Matthew's great navigation, we ended up waking in a loop (not too bad for not having a map). It was a nice walk. Back at the car we grabbed a quick snack and tried not to get the car too muddy (even though a bit of mud might have been an improvement on the car color).
On our way out of the forest we passed a sign that said Berry Farm. We had to stop. They advertise berries year round. Unfortunately, Australia does not grow berries in winter and therefore there were no fresh berries for sale. They did, however, have frozen berries. We purchased some kumquats and 1/2 kilo (the smallest quantity they would sell) of frozen raspberries. If we must...we must. We consoled each other over the tragedy of being forced to buy 1/2 kilo of raspberries. We were not heading to a freezer anytime soon...so naturally we had to consume them as we drove. YUM!
Now that we were armed with berries, the next order of business was finding a bed for the evening. We stopped at several B&Bs to try and find a place to stay. One place was situated on the top of a hill and we stopped to watch the sunset through the trees. It was beautiful. The raspberries made the sunset even more spectacular. :)We had no luck finding a place that had vacancy and were directed back to Olinda and Loft in the Mill because they have a booking service. They recognized us when we walked back and were happy that we did not get lost in the woods or attached by drop bears (a very concerning thing in the wilds of Australia). The nice thing was that they did have a booking service, the bad thing is that they had in their heads the type of place that one desired and pretty much pushed you in that direction.
We ended up in a VERY nice place for the night but it was WAY more than we needed or wanted. Oh well. When we arrived, the parking lot was full and there were LOTS of people dressed up in dresses and uniforms in the lobby. The hotel was hosting a fire brigade event. I felt out of place in my muddy hiking clothes. 
We checked in and went up to our room. The "honeymoon suite" was almost the size of our apartment and had the largest 4 poster bed that I had ever slept in in my life. It was quite amazing. The room was also freezing. They apparently do not heat the rooms ahead of time. We put the heat on full blast and went downstairs to eat.. We ended up sitting in the bar area because it had a wood burning fire. One of the chiefs of the fire brigade thought our fire was too small, in his professional opinion, and thew more wood on the fire. He kept checking on us...it was cute. At one point he ordered the staff to get us more wood. :)
A couple we met and spent most of the evening chatting with (not with the fire brigade) mentioned that the Rhododendron Garden was worth a visit...even in the winter. So after breakfast, we headed back to Olinda to the garden. We were both impressed. The park is about 20 hectacres, which is a decent sized garden.
There was not tons in bloom but what was impressed us. The colors of rhododendrons were varied and beautiful. One of my favorites was the beautiful camila tree that had various colors of flowers from bright pink to soft purple. I also loved the Winter Gold tree. It stood out and even glowed even with no leaves. Some of the other plants including the banksias It was a great garden.
The garden is known for the resident birds as well. The Superb Lyrebird mimics the sounds of other birds. They are amazing! They also do a dance to attract mates. They look like large chickens with long tails and really strong, large legs. Wondering down a path, we almost stumbled over 2 lyerbirds...one on either side of the path. We were able to watch the bird dig at the ground, looking for grubs to munch. A male bird ran across the path. It was exciting.
Holland Honeyeater is a type of bird that frequents the gardens around the bottle brushes and banksias. They were quite territorial and it was fun to watch the birds interact with each other. had one guy that decided to model in my photo shoot...I was excited. I think he would like his angles and the composition of his pictures (especially considering I do not have a whomping zoom lens).
We also enjoyed watching the surperb fairy wrens (and yes the surperb is part of their official name). They are little small birds that have straight large tails that stick up another half their body size. The male surperb fairy wren is shocking bright blue. He was gorgeous but bounced around so much that photos were not possible.  |
| Banksia bush |
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