Dandenong Ranges Forest & Garden Tours

Private ‘Town & Country’ Tours created for visitors to enjoy beautiful gardens and the quiet ambient of parklands and nature
DANDENONG RANGES Forest & Garden Tour

Departs Hotel 09.30 am Returns 3.30 pm (Flexible)
Small and large Groups Tours
Duration 7 hrs (Flexible)

Just one hour from Melbourne the Dandenong Ranges form a backdrop to Melbourne. Experience the towering Mountain Ash trees and lush fern gullies, visit the Sherbrook forest visit gardens filled with exotic trees and plants.

The tour travels through small towns and private estates established late 19th Century by wealthy Melbourne families to escape the summer heat and retreat to their leafy English-style gardens.

Tour Highlights *Visit Cloudehill – Art and Crafts style with a maze of dry stonewalls; hedges of beech and horn-bean that frame 20 landscaped jewel-like garden displays. Herbaceous borders create a contrast against the woodland backdrop of magnificent old forest trees.

*William Ricketts Sanctuary’ an undulating garden where sculptures blend with nature. The clay sculptures depict Aboriginal figures, animals and sacred stories.

* A stop to see Crimson Rosellas and other parrot species flock to feed at the edge of Sherbrook Forest.

Private Open Garden Tour Options:

• National Rhododendron Garden
• Bonsai Garden
• Pirianda Garden, featuring Australian native plants
• Tesslers Tulip Festival (September)
• Dandenong Ranges Daffodil Festival

Garden Tours – Highlights

• A choice of two private garden tours
• Tour visits Cloudehill, art and Crafts style garden with a maze of dry stonewalls; hedges of beech and horn-bean that frame 20 landscaped jewel-like garden displays. Herbaceous borders create a contrast against the woodland backdrop of magnificent old forest trees.
• William Ricketts Sculpture Garden Over 92 clay sculptures (people and animals) which since the 1930’s have blended into the natural landscape of rocks, ferns and lichens all under the cover of the towering Mountain Ash trees.

Lunch – Grants Reserve Cafe situated at the edge of Sherbrook Forest and where flocks of parrots can be observed flying from the forest to feed.