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The first white man to claim dominion over part of the Dandenong's, was James Clow whose land stretched from the present city of Dandenong to Olinda and
Monbulk. He named his property after the aboriginal name “Corrhanwarrabul”.
Other settlers followed and soon the whole of the Dandenong's was included in
settler’s runs. In the 1850’s, the Dandenong's attracted the notice of many
people with a botanical bent, including the famous Baron von Mueller, Victoria’s
Government Botanist.
n the 1870’s, von Mueller set up a semi-permanent camp at the Basin in order to
make an intense study of the Dandenong's flora. The worth of the mountain ash
was recognized by these early adventurers and some were felled for use as masts
in the sailing ships of that time. Hence the name “Mast Gully” creek.
They were soon followed by the timber getters
splitting the logs for palings which were used for sides of houses or fencing
material. A timber camp was opened at Olinda in 1855 and another at Kallista in
the 1860’s, followed by one at Sassafras in the 1870’s. The timber was taken out
by a track via the present Ferntree Gully to Oakleigh where the nearest main
road existed. The transport was mainly bullock teams.
During the 1880’s and the 1890’s the Dandenong's forests were decimated mainly
as a result of poverty stricken city folk being allocated 10 acre farm lets in
the Dandenong's on which to make a living. Imagine being shifted from Melbourne
to the forest of the Dandenong's and left to fell timber, build your house with
your own hands, create a garden to provide food and try to raise enough
provisions to survive. It took sturdy folk to see this through. Supplied by:
Peter Uwe Schmidt c/- Cuckoo Restaurant
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KALORAMA: Three men, Jabez Richardson, Matthew Child,
and Isaac Jeeves were advised by the botanist Baron von Mueller to look for the
land they wanted for their homes along the valley of the Running (Olinda) Creek.
In 1855 the three came one after the other. They made their homes on the bank of
the creek, posing as miners. After a few years they applied for a license to
occupy the areas around the homes.
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"The name “Kalorama” was coined about the turn of the century by a guest
of Ellis Jeeves. The guest was a Reverend Henschelwood who used a derivation of
the Greek word KOLOS to mean “beautiful view”. Ellis applied the name to his
home and it remained its name until it was demolished by the Forests Commission
in 1970. The name Kalorama was applied to the district between 1926 to 32 when,
in order to overcome postal confusion, the name was chosen from a list submitted
at a public meeting. In a booklet “The Dandenong volcano and settlement in its
great forest” by John Lundy-Clarke the geological story of the origins of the
Dandenong Ranges with the story of settlement on them, is told. The booklet was
published by the Lilydale Historical Society ISBN. 09594036 4 7.
Kalorama, a residential area in the Mount Dandenong Ranges, is only 36 km east
of the City of Melbourne. It can best be reached via the Tourist Road from
Montrose which is situated at the end of Canterbury Road.
There is a special viewing position at the Five Ways Corner with a panoramic
view over the Sylvan Reservoir and the Olinda State Forest to the Warburton
Ranges. Much of Kalorama is parkland and forest reserve, which adds to the
spacious residential environment. Some of the houses date from pre-war times
when Kalorama was a weekend resort. Several resort and guest-house places
continue to offer accommodation to visitors. This includes a large number of
very romantic, luxury Bed and Breakfast places such as Holly Lodge. Along the
Mount Dandenong Tourist Road there are Kalorama Park, Kalorama Memorial Reserve
with sports facilities, an Australian plant garden, a shop, café and post office
opposite the reserve and a café and art gallery at the Five Way Corner. The
eastern part of Kalorama is un-subdivided land, mainly a water catchments
reserve and part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. The census population of
Kalorama was 164 in (1933), 307 in (1947), 1519 in (1981) and 1300 in (1994)
Kalorama Park: For many years the Jeeves family ran a
coach service, and after the Tourist Road was built in the 1920’s this was
motorized. There was a garage and petrol station on what is now the look-out car
park. The 1939 bush fires caused havoc in the area, the garage was destroyed and
the family began to move on. Parts of the land had been sold to build the
Tourist Road, other parts obtained by the water board as reserve land for Silvan
Dam (built about 1930), and yet more had been sold off as building blocks. In
the 1950’s large sections of the hillside remained unused, much of it still the
property of the Jeeves family.
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As early as 1953 Professor John Turner (for a long time President of the Save
the Dandenong League) made efforts, in conjunction with Melbourne's Lord Mayor,
to acquire the first section of Kalorama Park, and an initial agreement was
negotiated; but the sale fell through on the day the contract was to be signed.
Things lay dormant for some years until the Lilydale Shire Plan was published,
showing the top section of the proposed Park subdivided into fifteen foot
allotments for shops. This threat provided the impetus for the purchase of a
twenty acre section in 1963. The league raised 5,000 pounds through an appeal in
the Herald (quite a large sum in those days); a further twenty acres was bought
by the Government, and the Park was opened by Professor Turner in April 1973.
Within the Park is a memorial plaque to Miss May Moon, who until right up to the
time of her death, Secretary of the League, and was very active in the
foundation of the Park. Miss Moon lived in Jeeves Avenue, in a house she built
herself, and there is a nature reserve dedicated to her memory beside the
Kalorama Cricket Oval and Tennis Courts. She also owned a property in Montrose
that now accommodates the Tullamore Retirement Village. This article is a
contribution by the Five Ways Galleries in Kalorama (Mel way Map 52 J9) Tel:
(03) 9728 5975
Kalorama
Scenic Lookout is only a short walk from Holly Lodge.
Wander through the numerous gardens and nurseries, spend
time at the Galleries, Antique and Craft shops, or at a
romantic cafe.
Feed the kookaburras, Parrots and Lorikeets and watch the city lights by night.
Experience the country atmosphere, the forests of the Dandenong Ranges with all
it's bird life ad tranquility or play golf at the Olinda Golf course........
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The Dandenong Ranges are an attractive mountain
area to the east of Melbourne. Small towns and villages characterize the area
with attractive houses nestled into the surrounding forests and beautiful
gardens.
With tree-fern gullies and tall forests. Visit the tea houses, restaurants,
coffee shops, craft shops, antique shops and Mt Dandenong Observatory for great
views. Try walking, cycling or horse riding. Enjoy a picnic at the many Picnic
Grounds. Catch the historic Puffing Billy train. Spending time at romantic Bed &
Breakfasts or Country Houses. Walk through the National Park Rain Forest and
Gardens. See Historic Homes, the Tulip Farm or fish for Rainbow Trout. Visit the
Country Markets, Sherbrooke Forest, the Yarra Valley Wineries and
Healsville Sanctuary. This is an ideal spot for a Weekend Getaway.
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WALKS ON THE WILD SIDE in the DANDENONG RANGES:
Most walks start from Picnic Grounds. Some popular walks include the 1000 steps
and Living Bush Nature Trail from the Fern Tree Gully Picnic Ground, Sherbrooke
Falls from the Sherbrooke Picnic Ground and Grants Picnic Ground at Kallista.
But how about walking on an even wilder side. If you are visiting the
Kalorama/Mt. Dandenong area or staying in one of the local charming B and B’s
consider exploring the mostly deserted walking tracks of the Mt. Evelyn, Olinda
or Doongalla sections of the National Forest. You can enjoy gentle or more
challenging walks through dry and wet fern-gully forested areas of the Mt.
Evelyn section.
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Five Way Scenic Look Out
is an ideal location to launch walks along Ridge Rd. to the
Observatory at Mt. Dandenong, Burke’s Lookout, the Kyeema Memorial Cairn or the
Doongalla Estate. A short drive or walk to the nearby Olinda Falls Picnic Ground
will give you access to the bubbling rock waterfalls along the Olinda Creek.
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If you decide to walk on the wild side be sure to take a map (perhaps a mobile
phone), a hat and sunscreen, and observe National Park guidelines such as fire
restrictions, respecting local flora and fauna, leaving cats or dogs at home,
not littering, and riding mountain bikes only on designated trails. All that’s
left is to choose your spot and start walking on the wild side!
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Things to see in the Dandenong' s:
Dandenong Ranges National Park (3215 ha) is an attractive and popular area
with its western slopes visible from the City of melbourne. It offers
opportunities for walking, sightseeing, picnicking, cycling and car touring.
More than 350 plant species have been recorded, along with 130 bird species, 31
species of mammals (most are nocturnal), 21 reptile species.
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The National Park has many walking tracks with views of Melbourne and distant
Mountain Ranges. It is home to many ferneries, eucalypt forests, picnic areas,
bird-life such as the lyrebirds, crimson Rosella and eastern whip-birds, mammals
such as wallabies, bandicoots, echidnas and possums and its flora, including 47
species of native orchids, native grasses, eucalypts and shrubs.
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The best northerly access to the Dandenong Ranges is via Canterbury Road and
Montrose onto the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road to Kalorama and Olinda or the
southern access via Burwood Highway and Ferntree Gully onto Mt Dandenong Tourist
Road to Sassafras.
The many Living Bush Nature Walks are denoted by markers and information sheets
which describe the plants along the walks. Most picnic grounds are open to
vehicles from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. (May to October) and until 6.00 p.m. the
rest of the year. There is an entry fee for cars to some Picnic Ground on
weekends, public holidays and school holidays. You can catch Bus to the Croydon
Train Station from the northern region of the Range or to Upper Ferntree Gully
Train Station in the southern region of the Range.
For general information and literature contact Parks Victoria on 131 963 or, if
you require more detailed information contact the Dandenong Ranges Tourism
Office at Upper Ferntree Gully on (03) 9758 7522.
NATIONAL PARK: It is not hard
to be distracted by all the lovely restaurants,
tea-rooms, galleries and charming B&B’s found nestled in
the villages of the Dandenong Ranges. The superb setting
of the National Rhododendron Gardens, Tesselaars Tulip
Farm, the Silvan Reservoir Picnic Grounds and William
Ricketts Sanctuary regularly attract Australian and
overseas visitors. It is therefore easy to forget that
the Dandenong Ranges is home to over 130 native bird
species, 31 species of native animals, 21 reptiles and 9
amphibians, all contained within the borders of the
Dandenong Ranges National Park, created in 1987 by
combining five large existing forest reserves. There are
also over 300 km of walking tracks scattered throughout
the total park area of 3215 hectares. Walks vary from
short strolls to more challenging expeditions. National
Parks Victoria (Ph. 131963) or Dandenong Ranges Tourist
Information Center (Ph. 9758 7522), Ferntree Gully, can
provide information and detailed maps on each of the
five Park areas: Doongalla, Fern Tree Gully, Sherbrooke,
Olinda and Mt. Evelyn.
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Alpine
House B&B
Mt Dandenong
