Puffing Billy (Dandenong Ranges & Brighton Bathing Boxes ) Experience

Discover why the Dandenong Ranges are a favorite destination for day-tripping Melbournians on this fun-filled, full-day tour.

Depart Melbourne from our pick-up point and sit back and relax on the 1-hour ride through Dandenong Ranges. Stop at the Brighton bathing boxes are a popular Bayside icon and cultural asset. The 82 Brighton bathing boxes are unique because of their uniform scale and proportion. As simple structures, all retain classic Victorian architectural features with timber framing, weatherboards and corrugated iron roofs. They remain as they did over one hundred years ago. Although there are many bathing boxes located around Port Phillip Bay and Western Port, the Brighton bathing boxes are the only remaining structures of their kind.

Next head to Belgrave, home of the famous Puffing Billy Steam train where you are in for some fun! This century-old steam train continues to run on its original mountain track from Belgrave to Menzies Creek in the magnificent Dandenong Ranges.

Continue to Sassafras ,perching high above Melbourne and observe the striking seasons in the beautiful gardens of the highest villages in the Dandenong Ranges. Search for boutique treasures and browse through art and handicraft galleries. Sample a famous Dandenong Ranges Devonshire tea and enjoy the showcasing of local produce. 

Then proceed to William Ricketts Sanctuary is a place of beauty and tranquillity. Day trips to this area are never forgotten thanks to both the beauty of the natural setting and the mystical sculptures half hidden among ferns along the pathways. Within the sanctuary grounds, there are over 90 different sculptures depicting the aboriginal people engaging with the earth in a pure forest setting. Carved into rocks and tree trunks that dot the paths that flow throughout the property, the themes in his artwork reflect his philosophies of connections with human, nature and the earth.

Visit Sky High which was first established as a survey point in 1861, which has undergone a lavish and sympathetic redevelopment. See Melbourne from one of the most beautiful vantage points in the area and enjoy the unparalleled vista from the SkyHigh Bistro or picnic on the elevated viewing terrace. Sample some delicious local wines from Goulburn, Yarra Valley, Heathcote and more and drink in the natural beauty.

At the end of the tour, sit back and relax on the return drive to Melbourne, where you’ll be dropped off back at your original departure point in the late afternoon.