19 Family-Friendly things to do in the Dandenong ranges

I recently had the incredible opportunity to spend over three months living with my family in the Dandenong Ranges, a picturesque and lush area just an hour’s drive east of Melbourne. During our extended stay, we embarked on a quest to find the best things to do in the Dandenong Ranges with kids. This enchanting region, known for its cool climate gardens, towering forests, and quaint hilltop villages, offers many activities perfect for families looking to explore and create lasting memories together.

From the moment we arrived, the Dandenong Ranges presented us with endless possibilities for adventure and discovery. We explored parks and playgrounds where the kids could run wild and free, hiked trails that led us through the stunning natural beauty of the area and found a variety of other fun activities that ensured there was never a dull moment. Whether catching a glimpse of the iconic Puffing Billy steam train or scaling the walls at a local climbing spot, the Dandenong Ranges proved the perfect playground for our family.

Read on to learn more about the Dandenong Ranges, highlighting the top spots and activities that made our family adventure special. From serene parks to thrilling trails and everything in between, get ready to make the most of your family time in this beautifully diverse part of Victoria.

Parks and playgrounds

Are you heading into the Dandenong Ranges with kids in tow? You’re in for a treat with spots like the Puffing Billy Playground, where train enthusiasts can wave at passing trains, and the Olinda Playspace, a hit with local families.

From kangaroo spotting at Cardinia Reservoir Park to bird feeding at Emerald Lake Park, there’s a park or playground perfect for every family adventure.

The Puffing Billy Playground

The Puffing Billy Playground is an excellent play spot for the kids in Emerald in the Dandenong Ranges. It has a bit of a train theme in line with its namesake. And if you time your visit right, you can wave to the passengers on the Puffing Billy steam train as it passes!

You’ll probably also see gorgeous birds like crimson rosellas and kookaburras around the playground.

(For those who enjoy geocaching, you’ll find one next to the playground, so team up your play with a bit of exploration/treasure hunting if you’re up for it?).

The Olinda Playspace

I asked a few local mums what the best playground in the Dandenong Ranges is. The unanimous vote was the Olinda playspace!

There’s plenty to like about this playground. They have twin flying foxes that the 4-year-old can jump on and off herself, small trampolines, playhouses for imaginative play, and a great ropes course.

The setting is also beautiful, with rolling hills, stunning views, and lush greenery. So check it out if you’ve got kids and are visiting the hills!

The Cardinia Reservoir Park

The Cardinia Reservoir Park is a fantastic spot for nature and leisure in the Dandenong Ranges.

It’s a prime kangaroo viewing area, so you might get lucky and spot some bounding around, especially if you visit early in the morning or late afternoon.

You’ll find a big green park with picnic tables, a playground, and walking and biking trails. There are a few places you can park your car for gorgeous views across the reservoir. We visited on a grey day, but it was still very beautiful.

You can walk or bike along the reservoir’s edge, but the water is fenced off. The reservoir is an important water source for Melbourne.

Check out the Cardinia Reservoir Park if you’re looking for things to do in the Dandenong Ranges!

Emerald lake park

Emerald Lake Park is full of birds that will eat straight from your hand! If you put some birdseed in your hand and wait patiently, the crimson rosellas of the park might come along for a nibble.

Or put your arm out like a branch, and a bird may perch on it… Or you might have one land on your head if you’re extra lucky?. These birds are not shy! You’ll also see plenty of friendly pukekos and ducks.

The park is a glorious spot to hang out and enjoy nature. The kids will love the playgrounds, rolling down the hills, climbing the trees, and building forts. You can also watch the Puffing Billy train arrive and depart from here.

Emerald Lake Park has plenty of gorgeous walking trails. It extends into the Nobelius Heritage Park, and the Eastern Dandenong Ranges trail runs through it.

We ended up at the Nobelius train station on one of our geocaching adventures and decided it must be the most quaint train station we’ve ever seen, so do check it out!

Emerald Lake Park has a cafe, a wading pool, and a small lake with paddle boats, which we presume are in action during summer. Over winter, the cafe seemed to be open on weekends, and the wading pool was undergoing maintenance.

Pepi’s Land

Pepi’s Land is a good place for a run around in Emerald. It’s in between the Puffing Billy Playground and Emerald Lake Park. They’re connected by a trail (part of the Eastern Dandenong Ranges trail), so it’s nice to meander between the three.

Pepi’s Land has a vast open green space, perfect for letting your dog run or your kids zoom down the hills!

It’s also a nice, safe place to practice hill riding along a trail. There’s a small outdoor gym there, and like everywhere in the Dandenong Ranges, there’s beautiful bushland nearby.

Pepi’s Land is next to the netball courts, ideal for riding scooters, skateboards, etc. And we also love waving to the train passengers as the Puffing Billy passes by.

The Cockatoo Creek Park 

The Cockatoo Creek Park is a lovely spot to take your kids in the Dandenong Ranges. It’s a community-focused park with a great playground, tennis courts, and a BMX track.

The park also offers plenty of opportunities for nature play, and the Eastern Dandenong Ranges walking and riding trail runs through it.

If you want to enjoy a nearby bushwalk but don’t want to do the whole trail, the Wrights Forest Bushland Reserve has many hiking paths (keep an eye out for the little fairy houses through the forest!)

Kalorama Oval Playground

The Kalorama Oval Playground is a lovely spot in the Dandenong Ranges to take the kids. The play equipment is excellent, and it’s complete with a nice green field to run around and very friendly resident kookaburras!

Stop for a family photo at the Silvan dam lookout, just a 1-minute drive along the road. There’s also a charming cafe with a view, so you can enjoy a coffee or a bite.

Lysterfield Park

Lysterfield Park is a gorgeous spot for a picnic and time in nature. There’s a nice lake with areas for boating and swimming and tons of picnic benches.

It’s a fab place to see wildlife, including various birds and kangaroos! You’ll also find many good trees for climbing, so check it out if you’re looking for nice places to visit with kids near the Dandenong Ranges.

The Gembrook Skate Park

The Gembrook skatepark is a fab place to take your kids in the Dandenong Ranges.

The skatepark has plenty of smaller-sized slopes for the little ones. There’s also a basketball court and an excellent playground right next to it, so it’s a good spot for them to go back and forth between things and play for ages.

Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick

Wilson Botanic Park in Berwick is an excellent place to visit with kids near the Dandenong Ranges.

It features lovely walking trails on the hillside, small lakes, lookout towers, flowers, a bird hide, a playground, and lots of wild rabbits and birds.

If the kids need something extra, you can take a quiz around the park via a QR code.

Dandenong Ranges Botanical Garden (aka the National Rhododendron Garden)

The Dandenong Ranges Botanical Garden (also called the National Rhododendron Garden) is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens we’ve ever visited (and we’ve visited a few!).

Located in Olinda amid the towering trees of the ranges, the gardens feature small lakes, paved walkways, and beautifully vibrant colors.

Entry is free, and you can bring a picnic or check out the on-site cafe. And when the kids have had enough, the Olinda Playspace is just next door!

Hiking Trails

Have you got your hiking shoes ready? The Dandenong Ranges are crisscrossed with trails that promise adventures big and small.

Tackle the Eastern Dandenong Ranges Trail and keep the kiddos excited with train spotting and treasure hunting. Or, head up to Mount Donna Buang for some forest wandering.

The Dandenong Ranges National Park is your go-to for giant trees and cool forest paths, while the Kokoda Memorial Track (a.k.a. the 1,000 steps) mixes a bit of history with a lot of stepping.

The following tracks are perfect for getting those little legs moving!

The Eastern Dandenong Ranges Trail

The Eastern Dandenong Ranges trail is a 16 km walking and bike-riding trail from Clematis to Gembrook. It follows the route of the Puffing Billy railway, so it’s a nice alternative to riding on the train for those seeking a budget and fitness-friendly option. Plus, there are plenty of spots en route where you can wave to the train passengers, which we think is just as fun!

Walking this trail was a big turning point for us. We split it into three sections to make it doable for the four-year-old and did it over three consecutive Saturdays.

It was one of her first walks over any significant distance without being carried. So, it makes me excited for more family walking adventures to come!

If you want to do it like this, split it into Clematis-Emerald Lake Park (5km), Emerald Lake Park-Cockatoo (5km), and Cockatoo-Gembrook (6 km).

We used various tactics to keep the little one moving, from treats to games to nature activities.

There are also plenty of points of interest along the way, such as playgrounds, geocaching, a fairy forest, and a poem tree.

We saw lots of wildlife and farm animals, including wallabies, birds, alpacas, and cows.

So check out the Eastern Dandenong Ranges trail if you’re looking for things to do with kids in the area.

Mount Donna Buang

Mount Donna Buang in the Yarra Ranges is one of the closest places to Melbourne you can go to enjoy the snow. That is if it’s a snowy year. We went in August, and there wasn’t a speck of snow in sight. From the lookout tower, we couldn’t see any evidence of it on the surrounding mountains either!

Donna Buang was a thriving ski destination from the 1920s to 1940s. By 1950, the ski bunnies had moved on to more reliable and extensive snow destinations.

But if you get a snowy year, you can still drive up Donna Buang and enjoy the sledding slopes or try your hand at snowshoeing.

The forest has regrown over the original ski slopes, so even if the white stuff is proving elusive, it’s a fantastic hiking destination and nature reserve. You’ll find several walking trails starting from the top. Take a short walk or try one of the longer tracks. You’ll even see signposts for a 10-hour trail from the top.

Just a few kilometers down from the peak, visit the rainforest gallery. A manufactured pathway offers an awesome view of the tree canopy below and an easy loop walk amid the rainforest.

Whether you’re visiting in summer or winter, Mount Donna Buang is a fab place for a family day in nature.

Walk in the Dandenong Ranges National Park

There are many beautiful walking trails in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. We explored a few trails in the Olinda area and loved walking among the spectacular giant trees. Starting from the corner of Falls Road and Dingley Lane, you can follow the Mathias Road track, which branches off into other trail options.

We turned left onto the golf course track from the Mathias Road track and followed it on a gentle uphill back to the road. You’ll end up near the botanical gardens and the Olinda playspace, both fab spots to hang out as a family.

It took us about three hours walking with a four-year-old, including a lunch stop. (Our current average pace is about twice as slow as a decent adult pace).

We recommend checking out the walking trails if you’re looking for things to do in the Dandenongs.

Kokoda Memorial Track

The Kokoda Memorial (1,000 steps) track is a must-do hiking trail in the Dandenong Ranges. This beautiful bush walk remembers those who fought on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea during WWII.

There are a few trails you can take there. The 1,000 steps walk heads up on a steady incline through lush native bush. Then it’s all steps to the top, with conveniently placed rest stops for those who need them on the way.

The track is popular and can be busy, especially at weekends. Many people use it as a fitness trail. It’s pretty narrow but has been planned well, so you take the steps up but follow a different trail down.

It’s about 1.4km each way and is estimated to take approximately 50 minutes to reach the top. We did the whole trail in about two hours or a little less. Miss 4 took her time getting up but then ran all the way down as kids do!

Check out the 1,000-steps cafe at the bottom of the trails. But be careful of the cheeky Kookaburras! Colin bought himself a croissant ? to fuel himself for the walk, but the friendly local wildlife snatched it straight out of his hand!

We ate lunch at the cafe afterward and sat in the outdoor dining area to wait for our food. But the staff ushered us inside to eat and closed the door. They said they’ve even had birds fly inside the cafe and swipe a meal while it was waiting for a customer!

Other fun activities for families and kids in the Dandenong Ranges

Looking for more fun with the family in the Dandenong Ranges? Hit the Caribbean Rollerama skating rink for some wheelie good times; it’s perfect for a family skate day.

Or head up to the Mount Dandenong Observatory, where the views are unmatched, and the maze will keep the kids guessing.

Splash around at Casey ARC, where the wave pool is a splash hit, and there’s something for everyone, from slides to saunas.

Don’t miss Clip ‘n’ Climb in Berwick for an adventurous climb that’s as fun as it is colorful.

The following spots offer great ways to mix up your Dandenong Ranges visit with skating, exploring, swimming, and climbing fun for the whole family!

Caribbean Rollerama skating rink

If your kids enjoy skating, don’t miss a visit to the Caribbean Rollerama skating rink in the Dandenong Ranges.

Sessions are two hours and $15 per kid, with skate hire $3. They have a snack food shop, but as a bonus, you can bring your own food❤️.

Saturday night sessions are fab if you want to watch speed skaters. We opted for a quiet weekday, so the kids had tons of space to zoom around.

Mount Dandenong Observatory

The Mount Dandenong Observatory is a must-visit spot at the top of the Dandenong Ranges, where you can enjoy views over Melbourne.

Car parking costs $10, and although some free lookouts are nearby, we think it’s worth paying to come to this one.

You can grab a coffee or enjoy a yummy lunch at the Sky High cafe, and there are a few features in the surrounding gardens that might interest the kids, such as the Giant’s Chair.

Check out the Sky High maze there, which our kids loved. As they make their way through the maze, they reach four checkpoints where they can stamp cards they’re given at the start. And there’s a very sweet butterfly tree at the end, too.

So head up to the Mount Dandenong Observatory if you’re looking for things to do with kids in the Dandenong Ranges, and enjoy the views, cafe, and maze.

Swimming at Casey ARC

Casey ARC is our pick of swimming facilities close to the Dandenong Ranges.

The wave pool is the winner for the kids, and there are two kids’ pools, one with a slide and water features for the littles. There’s also a small playground outside the facility.

Grown-ups can enjoy the adult-only sauna, steam, and spa, and there’s also lane swimming if you want to get in a few laps❤️

Clip ‘n’ Climb Berwick

Visiting Clip n Climb in Berwick brought back memories! In my ‘previous life,’ I used to take my personal training clients to clip n climb in Christchurch (NZ) as a fun option for staying active and getting stronger?.

So, I was excited to take the kiddos to try it! We seek out climbing walls as a family because it’s something we can all get involved in.

And Clip n Climb wins top awards for family-friendly climbing with its bright colors and funky designs. At 100cm, wee Romy was just tall enough to clip on and give it a go.

Kids eight and younger need an adult to check they’re safely clipped in, and then they can climb away. Some walls are labeled as easy, so those are good options for the little ones.

Plenty of challenges exist for more advanced climbers who can climb only using specific colors or try their hand at the speed walls.

I love the creativity of the different walls, from the dark tunnel to the rope climb, dry ice wall, and more.

You need to book a one-hour slot for climbing and can opt to add different activities like the sky trail (high ropes), vertical slide, gaming climbing wall, and the cheeky monkeys’ playground.

We spent around 100 AUD for the four of us to climb for an hour and for the girls to play in the cheeky monkey’s playground. We decided $100 was enough, so we didn’t book the extras.

The playground is relatively small, but they loved it, and it has no time limit. So we stayed a few hours, and Colin and I played many games of Uno?.

We’d recommend checking out Clip n Climb Berwick if you’re looking for things to do with kids in or near the Dandenong Ranges, especially on cold rainy days.

Things to do in the Dandenong Ranges with Kids | In Conclusion

After spending over three months immersed in the beauty and adventure that the Dandenong Ranges offer, it’s safe to say this place holds a special spot in our family’s heart. From fantastic local playgrounds to awe-inspiring hikes through ancient forests, it’s a beautiful place to spend time together in nature.

Whether you’re skating at Caribbean Rollerama, gazing out from the Mount Dandenong Observatory, making a splash at Casey ARC, or climbing to new heights at Clip ‘n’ Climb, there’s an adventure around every corner for kids and parents alike.

So, if you’re wondering what to do in the Dandenong Ranges with kids, remember that this place is a treasure trove of family fun waiting to be discovered. We hope you’ve got some fantastic ideas for family-friendly adventures in the area and that you enjoy it as much as we did!

If you’re visiting Victoria, make sure you check out these incredible things to do on Phillip Island with kids.