Dandenong Ranges National Park Victoria | |
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Nearest town or city | |
Coordinates | 37°48′37″S 145°23′8″E / 37.81028°S 145.38556°E |
Established | 13 December 1987[1] |
Area | 35.4 km2 (13.7 sq mi)[2] |
Visitation | over 1,000,000 (in 2010[1]) |
Managing authorities | Parks Victoria |
Website | Dandenong Ranges National Park |
See also | Protected areas of Victoria |
The Dandenong Ranges National Park is a national park located in the Greater Melbourne region of Victoria, Australia. The 3,540-hectare (8,700-acre) national park is situated from 31 kilometres (19 mi) at its westernmost points at Ferntree Gully and Boronia to 45 kilometres (28 mi) at it easternmost point at Silvan, east of the Melbourne central business district.
The park was proclaimed on 13 December 1987Sherbrooke Forest and Doongalla Estate. In 1997 the Olinda State Forest, Mt. Evelyn and Montrose Reserve were formally added to the national park.[1]
, amalgamating the Ferntree Gully National Park,The region was originally inhabited by the Bunurong and Woewurrong Aboriginal people. Most of the forest got cleared when it became a significant source of timber for Melbourne. During the late last century, farming began in the area as roads and railways were built and the 'Puffing Billy' narrow-gauge line from Ferntree Gully to Gembrook started in 1900. Tourism flourished from the 1870s. The Fern Tree Gully was the first to be reserved as a park in 1882 followed by other areas. The present day national park was established in 1987.[3]
Dandenong Ranges National Park is divided into five sections:[4]
Because the park is located in an urban area, the park has a long history of major problems with feral and roaming animals. A cat curfew was introduced in the entire Dandenong Ranges area in 1991, and since then the numbers and variety of lyrebirds and some other native species have climbed dramatically.[6][7][8]