2 Best Sights in The Dandenong Ranges, Victoria

This gleaming narrow-gauge steam train, based 46 km (28 miles) from Healesville in the town of Belgrave, runs on a line originally built in the early 1900s to open up the Dandenong Ranges to 20th-century pioneers. It's a great way to see the foothill landscapes. Daily trips between Belgrave and Emerald Lake pass through picturesque forests and over spectacular wooden trestle bridges. The 13-km (8-mile) trip takes an hour; it's another hour if you continue to the historic town of Gembrook. There are also on-board lunch and train-and-picnic packs, plus special music and children's events, and the new, architecturally impressive visitor center includes a café and interactive activities sharing the little train's long history.

This lookout at the top of Mt. Dandenong has breathtaking views over Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula and Port Phillip Bay. You can picnic or barbecue on the grounds, eat at the bistro (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), or stroll along the pleasant English Garden Walk while the kids get lost in the hedge maze (additional entry fee). Other fun attractions include a Wishing Tree and the Giant's Chair. Bistro open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. On Sunday, book ahead for its popular roast lunch and afternoon teas: the lookout charges a gate fee upon entrance.