Introduction
Mountain range in Victoria, Australia For other uses of the name Dandenong, see Dandenong (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Dandenong Ranges" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)Dandenong RangesCorhanwarrabul, the DandenongsLeft - Mount Dandenong and right - Mount Corhanwarrabul, viewed from MooroolbarkHighest pointPeakMount DandenongElevation633 m (2,077 ft)Coordinates37°49′38″S 145°21′10″E / 37.82722°S 145.35278°E / -37.82722; 145.35278DimensionsLength50 km (31 mi) N-SWidth10 km (6.2 mi) E-WGeographyDandenong RangesLocation of the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria CountryAustraliaStateVictoriaRange coordinates37°50′08″S 145°21′33″E / 37.83556°S 145.35917°E / -37.83556; 145.35917Parent rangeGreat Dividing RangeGeologyRock ageDevonianRock typesIgneousSedimentaryMetamorphic The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just the Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges in Victoria, Australia, approximately 35 km (22 mi) east of the state capital Melbourne. A minor branch of the Great Dividing Range, the Dandenongs consist mostly of rolling hills, rising to 633 m (2,077 ft) at Mount Dandenong, as well as steeply weathered valleys and gullies covered in thick temperate rainforest, predominantly of tall mountain ash trees and dense ferny undergrowth. The namesake Dandenong Creek and most of its left-bank tributaries (particularly the Eumemmerring Creek) originate from headwaters in these mountain ranges. Two of Melbourne's most important storage reservoirs, the Cardinia and Silvan Reservoir, are also located within the Dandenongs. After European settlement in the Port Phillip Bay region, the range was used as a major local source of timber for Melbourne. The ranges were popular with day-trippers from the 1870s onwards. Much of the Dandenongs were protected as parklands as early as 1882, and by 1987 these parklands were amalgamated to form the Dandenong Ranges National Park, which was subsequently expanded in 1997. The range receives light to moderate snowfalls a few times in most years, frequently between late winter and late spring. Today, the Dandenongs are home to over 100,000 residents and are popular amongst visitors, many of whom stay for the weekend at the various bed & breakfasts throughout the region. The popular Puffing Billy Railway, a heritage steam railway, runs through the hills villages of the eastern Dandenong Ranges.