The Dandenong Ranges have played an integral part in Australia’s history for centuries. Rich pastures attracted graziers and timber cutters while offering weekend retreats from city life.

Central Dandenong flourished into a bustling metropolitan centre, home to residents from 137 national origins. However, retail prosperity declined and the town suffered with negative perceptions and poor socio-economic circumstances.

Origins

In the early 1900’s, Melbourne residents took to visiting the Dandenongs’ thick forests and lush fern gullies as holiday destinations during their vacation season. Boarding houses sprung up to accommodate day trippers. Many artists, writers, musicians and poets found inspiration from their surroundings: Poet C J Dennis camped at Kallista during his visits in 1920; artist Arthur Streeton lived here during the 1930’s; while renowned crime novelist Arthur Upfield used his mountaintop shack as the setting for his detective novels The Devil’s Step and An Author Bites the Dust respectively.

At the turn of the century, this area’s proximity to Melbourne, solid road network and rail linkage, and productive farmland enabled it to emerge as an important regional center. Logging of red gum and stringy bark trees provided early employment. Timber milling, tanning and brick making were other industries that thrived here.

In the 1950s, three large corporations established factories at Dandenong: International Harvester (1947), Heinz (1952) and General Motors Holden (1956). This event had a profound effect on its surroundings – Dandenong became one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.

Today, this area is well known for its beautiful cool climate gardens that come alive during spring and fall. Explore lush rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias at National Rhododendron Gardens; admire Cloudehill Nursery & Gardens’ 20 English “garden rooms; visit William Ricketts Sanctuary to witness his sculpture tucked among treetops; then marvel at an explosion of color at Tesselaar Tulip Festival (early September to early October).

Settlement

Starting around 1836, when Melbourne was being settled, the Dandenong Ranges attracted squatters who soon made them the focus of farming operations and, later on, timber felling operations. By 1844 they had established themselves as agricultural hubs and from 1860 they also served as timber felling hubs.

By the 1870s it became evident that large tracts of forest needed protection, as their natural beauty was diminishing rapidly. Forest reserves were first set aside in 1882; today this region forms part of Dandenong Ranges National Park.

Beginning in the 1890s, Melbourne residents enjoyed day-tripping to the mountains from Melbourne. Gardens were built and soon enough, Victoria became known as ‘the Garden Suburb’. Visitors still can appreciate beautiful gardens, lush fern gullies, and walking tracks today!

Botanist Daniel Bunce conducted extensive exploration of the Dandenong Ranges during the 1840s, compiling detailed records of its flora and fauna. Wholesale clearing began shortly afterwards; by 1860 local forests had been almost completely depleted.

In the early 1900s, a railway line was constructed through the range and the township of Ferntree Gully established. A road to Mount Dandenong opened for public use in 1904.

Mountain Ash Trees provided timber for Melbourne in the late 1920s, and by the early 1930s had become an increasingly popular tourist destination. William Ricketts purchased land on Mount Dandenong to open a ceramic studio that is now the William Ricketts Sanctuary at its summit.

Immigration greatly enhanced the region in later decades and now, over 150 nationalities representing 40 languages make Greater Dandenong their home. Even under tough economic circumstances, Greater Dandenong remains regionally significant with strong retail and service sector businesses.

Agriculture

Dandenongs’ rich pastures (of ryegrass, oats and barley) attracted graziers since 1830s; their densely timbered landscape (red gums, stringy bark trees, marri and box) offered support for timber milling, charcoal production, tanning processes and brick manufacturing; whilst its deep soil provided fertile ground for horticulture with production of dairy products, eggs, fruit and vegetables being produced here as well.

In the 1950s, Heinz, International Harvester and General Motors Holden all established factories in Dandenong bringing with them additional employees, leading to greater central business and retail prosperity. New housing subdivisions as well as services such as hospitals, regional police headquarters and Magistrates courts expanded the town’s population further.

Today, this region is known for horticulture and manufacturing industries with service industries also present. The region’s hills are popular day trippers destinations while its towns provide diverse accommodation options for visitors. Puffing Billy heritage steam railway connects many hill villages while Dandenong Ranges National Park serves as an outdoor recreational site.

Dandenong Creek and its wetlands and tributaries remain home to an array of wildlife, such as kangaroos, wallabies, emus and ringtail and brushtail possums. Furthermore, this habitat serves as home for native fish such as Dwarf Galaxias which are listed as endangered.

Industry

The Dandenongs quickly developed into an industrial center due to the abundance of red gum timber and deep soils (perfect for brick making). Milling and manufacturing businesses arose to meet Melbourne’s expanding urban needs, including charcoal burning, tanning, quarrying and quarrying operations. Furthermore, its abundant grazing land soon brought cattle and sheep herds; with livestock markets quickly emerging. Its easily servicable land also attracted large scale manufacturing – Heinz, International Harvester and General Motors Holden all established factories here.

By the 1950’s, locals marveled at the four-storey National Bank of Australasia building which at that time was considered to be the largest outside the metropolis and experienced an economic surge as it brought business opportunities for expansion in this part of Adelaide.

However, despite early successes of Dandenong as a regional industrial centre, its dominance began to be challenged by improved transport infrastructure connecting Dandenong with North and North Western markets via EastLink. Occupiers began leaving and revitalizing central Dandenong has been key in reclaiming its position.

Revamp projects undertaken to revitalize central Dandenong have included creating high-quality public spaces like Halpin Way, Settlers Square and Pop-Up Park – which received awards at the 2013 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Awards – while others focused on providing key infrastructure and seed initiatives that stimulate economic development – such as WestLink construction or revitalising former AMP site into Government Services Building, Council Chamber and Library which opened their doors in 2014.

Although some observers have noted a decline in certain sectors of industry in Australia, Savills Victorian Head of Research Glenn Lampard asserts that overall major occupiers still recognize Dandenong region’s value as a business location.

Tourism

Dandenong Ranges provide an oasis of lush fern gullies and hillside villages bathed in sun and seasonal color – the ideal respite from city life. Catch Puffing Billy steam engine’s whistle as it thunders through Eucalypt forests; explore National Rhododendron Gardens, Alfred Memorial Garden or Kawarra Native Australian Plant Garden to experience horticulture or art; or gain new appreciation of nature at William Ricketts Sanctuary where famous ceramicist renowned ceramicist inspired his clay modeling.

The Dandenongs’ natural beauty attracted early settlers, who made homes among its river red gum forests, creek floodplains and dry heathland. Wholesale clearing started in 1850s to create the Dandenongs we know today with its abundance of cultural heritage sites and areas with significant indigenous vegetation.

In the mid 1950s, large companies like Heinz, International Harvester and General Motors Holden set up factories in Dandenong, Doveton, Upper Ferntree Gully and Berwick to stimulate economic development in these suburbs. This provided the impetus needed for regional prosperity.

Dandenong Ranges are now home to an ever-expanding tourism industry and visitor attractions, boasting a vibrant tourism industry. Their natural environment is one of their greatest advantages – from Sherbrooke Forest with its lush flora, cascading Sherbrooke Falls and magnificent Mount Dandenong Lookout with panoramic views – the region is an outdoor enthusiasts’ dream come true.

The Dandenong Ranges boast an abundance of rare and threatened wildlife species that inhabit this region, such as Sulfur-crested Cockatoos, Laughing Kookaburras and Superb Lyrebirds; or take a walk through its fern gullies to spot swamp skinks and platypus.