Sometimes it is the unexpected things that happen when you are travelling that are the best. We have recently been lucky enough to turn a complete travel hiccup into an absolute win.
When we found out our caravan needed to be put in for repairs for a whole month, we had a brief moment of mild panic. A month! Where on earth do two grey nomads park themselves for four weeks without a home on wheels?
We hopped onto House Sitters, half-expecting to find a tent in someone’s backyard, but Lady Luck was clearly smiling on us. A house sit had just come up that hadn’t been available before at dates that worked perfectly for us. The owners were in a bind because their previous sitters had pulled out, so we stepped in to save the day—and ended up saving ourselves!
Before we even arrived we found a garden festival where the AC & Bristol car club were visiting. We arrived at our new temporary digs in the Dandenong Ranges, looked at the separate granny flat provided for us, and went, “Wow.”
Calling it a “specky granny flat” is an understatement—it’s on a stunning property and the kind of place you’d happily pay good money for on a holiday site, yet here we are, taking up residence for the month for free! The house is furnished like an art gallery, full of orriginal large Aboriginal Art. The owners are lovely, and the resident dogs are well-fenced, very friendly, and refreshingly low-maintenance.
Being based in the Dandenongs, we are completely spoiled for choice with things to see and do. Think of the Dandenong as Melbourne’s answer to the Blue Mountains—steep, winding roads in every single direction, quaint little touristy villages like Emerald and Monbulk tucked into the hills, and green, lush gardens absolutely everywhere you look.
We’ve already packed a surprising amount into our first week:
1. The Tesselaar Tulip Festival
Our very first day kicked off with Melbourne’s answer to Floriade. It was wall-to-wall vibrant tulips and other bulbs in mass planting. We took lots of photos and naturally, we couldn’t resist the ultimate tourist cliché: posing for a ridiculously funny photo sitting inside a giant wooden clog. You have to embrace the silliness!
2. Ferny Gullies & Winding Walks
We tackled the Menzies Creek walk, which, to be completely honest, wasn’t standard-issue well-maintained, but it was the quintessential Dandenongs experience—towering tree ferns, ferny gullies, and trickling brooks.
The next day we hiked through the R.J. Hammer Arboretum. Now, calling that walk a “slog” is being polite. We went down a very big hill, which meant, naturally, we had to walk back up lots of very big hills. Some of those extra hill climbs might have been because Jo wasn’t strictly following the directions on her phone… but who’s counting?
The slog paid off, though! We got to see a lyrebird doing a full dance routine, spotted bright red rosellas chattering madly in the trees, and even discovered the existence of the “land yabby” (and actually spotted one in the flesh to prove we weren’t hallucinating!).
3. Sky High, Waratahs & Spectacular Views
We also caught our first taste of SkyHigh Mt Dandenong, which delivered stunning panoramic views right across Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay. It’s a lovely spot—full of sculptures, gorgeous gardens bursting with native Waratahs, and great food. We are planning to go back there today.
4. Puffing Billy & Emerald Lake
We took a trip out to Emerald Lake Park—the former site of the historical Nobilis Nursery (once one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere). The grounds are magnificent, complete with lovely lake walks, bridges over streams, an art gallery, and a cool 1950s sculpture at the front made out of original power line materials.
Of course, you can’t visit Emerald Lake without encountering the iconic Puffing Billy steam train. Luckily we were hanging out at an unused train station just as Puffing Billy came past. We checked out the Puffing Billy Museum where impressed us most was the incredible dedication of the volunteers. These amazing 400+ folks show up hours before dawn just to slowly light and heat the fires.
Even wilder? A crew of volunteers gets up three hours early every morning to traverse the entire track from end to end just to ensure no fallen branches or rocks block the path. In summer, a loyal little volunteer vehicle equipped with a massive water tank trails right behind the steam train to douse any potential stray sparks! Now that is commitment to the cause.
To top off a fantastic first week, our son Harley arrived last night to stay with us (one of the perks of having two rooms in our specky flat!). We’ve already got a massive list of ideas for things to explore while he’s here, courtesy of some handy AI tech mapping out our itineraries. We even found time to book the car in with a local mechanic for a quick once-over—better safe than sorry while we’re parked in one spot!
We haven’t even been here a full week yet, and with a few more weeks to go, we’ve got so much to look forward to.
All in all? Life in the Dandenongs is… Just Dandy! (Boom, boom!)
Jo in Peter
DISCLAIMER Peter takes no responsibility for Joannes attempt at dad jokes!!
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