Dandenong Ranges National Park

We started off our Queen's Birthday holiday weekend with a drive out to Dandenong Ranges National Park on Saturday morning.  It's only about an hour outside of Melbourne, but you feel like you're in a whole different world.  There are towering trees, everything is so green, and it feels like a rainforest with its chirping birds and moist, fresh air.

We did a short hike in the Sherbrooke Forest to a small waterfall.  It was nice to get away from the city for a bit, though we missed having Molly the trail dog running out ahead of us to scout out the path and make friends along the way.

A glimpse of Sherbrooke Falls

After our hike, we headed to the SkyHigh Restaurant, which sits atop Mount Dandenong.  Of course, the view wasn't quite as impressive as it is atop those Colorado Fourteeners, as this "mountain" is just over 2000 feet above sea level (633 meters).  But it was still cool to see Melbourne from a distance and enjoy some lunch in the sunshine.

View from Mount Dandenong-can you see Melbourne?

As always, there are more pictures on my Shutterfly site (link in the upper right).  Overall, it was a morning well spent, and tomorrow's entry will tell you all about our Saturday afternoon activity!