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| The sculpture
of Atarantuka at the William Ricketts
Sanctuary |
Dandenong (including Churchill National
Park and Lysterfield Lake Park)
Popular and hugely attractive mountain area
to the east of Melbourne.
The City of Greater Dandenong is an
administrative, industrial and residential
region within Melbourne which incorporates the
suburbs of Dandenong, Dandenong South, Bangholme,
Keysborough, Noble Park, South Springvale,
Springvale and Dandenong North. Dandenong itself
is located 32 km south-east of the Melbourne CBD
and 23 m above sea-level. The city is traversed
by the Princes Highway which meets up with the
South Gippsland Highway at the south-eastern
boundary of the city.
Once occupied by the Woiwurung people a
cattle run was established at Dandenong Creek in
1837 by pioneer Joseph Hawdon who was a
principal of the first overland cattle trek
across the Murray River to Port Phillip and the
first overland drive from NSW to South Australia
which was, at the time (1838) the longest
journey of its kind to be attempted by whites in
Australia. He was also a pioneer of the overland
mail service. A native police camp was also set
up at this time on land now part of Churchill
National Park but it closed in 1839.
At the time Dandenong was a very attractive
and verdant valley but the presence of red-gum
timber soon drew timbergetters who set up
wattle-and-daub huts in the area. Some of the
material was used for paving the streets of
Melbourne.
This area was the starting point for Charles
La Trobe's 1845 expedition to Port Albert. First
Dunn's Inn and later Dunbar's Hotels were
established in the 1840s - the latter at the
corner of Lonsdale and Walker Streets. The first
post office opened at Dunn's in 1848 and later
moved to Dunbar's which was built of shingles
and palings. Land auctions, courts, church
services and Road Board meetings were all held
at Dunbar's.
A plank bridge was constructed over Dandenong
Creek in the early 1840s and a basic road to
Gippsland was developed in 1847-48. A new log
bridge was built over Dandenong Creek in 1849, a
stronger timber bridge the following year and a
stone bridge in 1867.
Dandenong began to develop into a town in the
early 1850s and a court of petty sessions was
established in 1858. It was named Dandenong
after an Aboriginal word ('dan-y-nong' or 'tanjenong')
meaning 'high mountain' (a reference to Mt
Dandenong).
Development of the area was accelerated when
a coach road was built between Melbourne and
Sale from 1858 to 1865. Agriculture and
horticulture became important in the area. After
a market was established c.1864 it became one of
the state's most important marketing centres for
livestock and farm produce. It became a shire in
1873 and the railway arrived in 1879. A
brickworks was established in 1894, a canning
factory and foundry in 1898 and a bacon factory
in 1912.
The area was developed after World War II
with many Housing Commission installations.
General Motors-Holden opened a motor vehicle
manufacturing plants in 1952 and 1955 and Heinz
built a large food processing plant at the same
time. Consequently the population trebled in the
1950s. Australia's largest market for livestock
was built here in 1958 and Dandenong was
declared a city in 1959. Since that time it has
become a significant manufacturing centre.
The Dandenong Agricultural Show is held
annually in November. The Dandenong Market is
held at the corner of Clow and Cleeland Sts
every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 8.00
a.m. and a trash-and-treasure market starts at
8.00 a.m. every Sunday on the South Gippsland
Highway.
Things to see:
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Town Hall
The monumental two-storey stuccoed town hall was
built in 1890. It initially served as a town
hall, courthouse and mechanics' institute. A
Classical design it features a clock tower with
grand mansard roof and is located at the
intersection of Lonsdale St (the Princes
Highway), Walker St and Langhorne St.
Heritage Hill Social History Museum
Heritage Hill is a cluster of historic buildings
set in picturesque gardens at 51 Langhorne St
(which runs off Walker St). Buildings include
the Benga Oral History Centre, St James' Church
(Dandenong's oldest building) and 'Laurel Lodge'
(1869). There is also a collection of material
pertaining to local history. It is open
Wednesday to Friday and Sundays from 1.00 p.m.
to 5.00 p.m., tel: (03) 9793 4511. There is an
admission charge.
Dandenong to Patterson Lakes Trail
Park your car at Dandenong Park in Pultney St
then walk all the way along Power St to the Clow
St intersection. A 17-km cycling trail starts
nearby, at a quiet corner of the green belt
bordering Dandenong Creek. An asphalt path leads
south alongside the creek past several ovals and
a picnic ground, then over the creek via a
suspension bridge. Follow the red-brick path to
the Lonsdale St lights. Cross the road and walk
along Webster St (again adjacent the creek).
Cross Hammond Rd and continue along the gravel
path. It veers to the left and heads south-west
beneath Greens Rd and Perry Rd, passing through
Dandenong South and Bangholme. The creek
eventually becomes the wider Patterson River and
the path passes the National Water Sports Centre
and under the Mornington Peninsula Freeway. The
scenery improves as you reach Patterson Lakes -
a former swamp which has become a residential
area. The track follows a levee and bridge
across a series of floodgates, then follows the
river past boat-launching ramps and a carpark to
the Nepean Highway and the mouth of the river on
the shore of Port Phillip Bay. There are
barbecues and a playground near the bridge.
Churchill National Park
Just to the north-east of Dandenong is Churchill
National Park (193 ha) which represents a rare
remaining section of the bushland and forest
which covered the Melbourne area prior to
European settlement. Although there are clear
traces of the human presence (a disused
aqueduct, powerlines, man-made dams,
water-supply channels, abandoned quarry sites,
and evidence of man-made fires and clearing
practices) it is still an oasis for native fauna
and flora and a good spot for picnicking and
scenic walks.
A police corps headquarters for native
trackers was established on this land in 1837
though it closed in 1839. The national park was
declared in 1941. It was initially known as
Dandenong National Park but was changed in 1944
in honour of Winston Churchill.
The park is profuse with birdlife such as
parrots, honeyeaters, wrens, thornbills and a
colony of melodious bellbirds at Bellbird Bend.
Kangaroos and wallabies have been reintroduced
as they died out in the 19th century. They can
be seen in the early morning and at dusk.
Echidnas are quite common and so are green and
golden bell frogs in summer. Snakes can be seen
on warmer days. They are protected and tend to
flee at the vibrations of approaching footfalls.
Much of the wildlife is nocturnal. Eucalypt and
wattle species are many. Due to clearing in the
past, open woodland tends to be more common than
forest.
To get there, turn off the Princes Highway at
Dandenong along Clow St then turn left into Stud
Rd. After about 1.7 km turn right into
Heatherton Rd and after about another 1.7 km
turn left again into Power Rd. After about 2.5
km it reaches a T-intersection with Churchill
Park Drive. Turn right and you will soon come to
the park entrance on the left. It leads to a
picnic area with barbecues, toilets, tables,
parking and a large picnic shelter. Before it
reaches the picnic site the main entrance road
passes an area on the left where kangaroos and
wallabies feed at dawn and dusk.
There are a network of intersecting walking
tracks in the park. You can pick up the Shelter
Track from the picnic area. It reaches a
T-intersection with the Aqueduct Channel Track
which follows the course of a disused water
channel that once supplied water to Dandenong,
passing through an attractive, lightly wooded
landscape. If you turn left onto the Aqueduct
Track it soon leads to Bellbird Bend. Other
trails are the Bellbird Track, the Ridge Track,
the North Boundary Track (which passes the only
stand of messmate in the park and an artificial
dam which is a good spot for birdwatching) and
Stonemasons Track which is recommended for
cycling and jogging.
Parks Victoria put out a pamphlet relating to
the park which includes a map outlining the
walks, tel: 131 963.
Lysterfield Lake Park
Just to the east of Churchill National Park is
Lysterfield Lake Park, based around the former
Lysterfield Reservoir which supplied water to
the Mornington Peninsula from 1936 until it was
supplanted by Cardinia Reservoir in 1975. It has
since become a recreation area.
To get there, head off the Princes Highway
along Clow St then turn left into Stud Rd. After
about 1.7 km turn right into Heatherton Rd.
Proceed east for about 8 km then turn left into
the Belgrave-Hallam Rd. About 2 km along this
road turn left into Horswood Rd which leads
through the main entrance and ticket office to
Lysterfield Lake. The entrance is closed at
night. There is an admission fee.
This Park incorporates valuable remnant
native forest and eucalypt plantations. It is
also a wildlife refuge which has attracted
numerous bird species such as ducks, swans,
grebus, pelicans, Japanese snipe, gang-gang,
cockatoos, bellbirds, wrens and honeyeaters.
At the Lakeside Picnic Area there are
carparks, picnic areas, barbecues,
boat-launching ramps and toilets. Horseriding is
permitted in summer on some tracks in the east
of the park. Those interested in orienteering,
rogaining or bringing in groups of 40 or more
must contact the Park Office first, tel: (03)
9796 8763.
Swimming is permitted only from the beach in
the lakeside area and, while power boats are
forbidden for reasons of swimmers' safety and
for the protection of waterbird habitats,
non-powered boating is permitted in certain
delineated areas (it is excluded from the
northern, eastern and south-eastern edges of the
lake). Those with sailboats should note that a
5-metre maximum applies to monhull boats and 4.3
m for multi-hull boats. Sailboarding, canoeing
and rowing are other possibilities. Informal
competitions are allowed but not regattas and
model boating is restricted to non-motorised
craft. A brochure called 'Boating on Lysterfield
Lake' is available from the park or ring Parks
Victoria on 131 963.
Some of the park's tracks are for walkers
only while others are also open to cyclists. The
paths around the lakeside are wheelchair
friendly and there are disabled facilities at
the toilets. Access along the tracks can be
difficult after heavy rain.
The two main walks are (a) a short and
pleasant walk from the lakeside area to the dam
wall and (b) an 8-km walk around the lake,
across the dam wall and along the Tramline
Track, Lamberts Track and Lake Track, around the
northern edge of the Conservation Zone to Logan
Park Rd then through the Conservation Zone to
the main carpark.
