Dandenong-Ranges-Nationalpark

The Dandenong Ranges National Park is located in the Dandenongs, a small mountain range in the Australian state of Victoria, 38 km east of Melbourne.

Because the park is located in suburban location, there are always problems with stray pets and wild animals. Some years ago the Dandenongs was imposed a curfew for cats in the entire area and since that time the number and variety of Lyrebird and other wild bird species increases significantly.

The Dandenong Ranges National Park is divided into five sections:

• Doongalla Forest - with Mount Dandenong itself and the SkyHigh restaurant on its top, which allows a remote view of Melbourne's east.
• Ferntree Gully - the south-west of the National Park between the villages of Ferntree Gully and Boronia in the west, in the south of Upwey, Tremont and Sassafras in the east and The Basin in the north. In the park of the Thousands Steps Trail takes up to One Tree Hill. The very steep trail contains over 700 steps, is about 2.5 km long and is reminiscent of the battle for the Kokoda Track in Papua territory during the Second World War. The stages are equally a popular destination for tourists and fitness enthusiasts. In the pre-season of the Australian Football League ( AFL) rushes up a number of AFL and similar teams from Melbourne their teams the steps to document their fitness. It is not known exactly when the levels to come, but assumes that this must have been the early 1860s, when this was the only way to the summit of One Tree Hills. According to a tourist guide from 1868 all other areas were covered with thick forests. A study in the park found that over 82 % of visitors use on weekends the park for jogging. But the area is popular for picnics.
• The Sherbrooke Forest lies near Belgrave.
• The Olinda Forest covers the eastern slopes of Mount Dandenong.
• Mount Evelyn Forest forms the northernmost part of the park.