On July 6 2008 I re-visited the Lookout Rock, Olinda, in the Dandenong Ranges National Park, about 40 km east of the Melbourne CBD.
My 4.5 km walk took me along Mathias Rd, Rock Track, and Conus Track, on the perimeter of the wonderful Forest Arboretum.
The Rock is adjacent to the Olinda Golf Course, and has been a popular destination for visitors since the late 1800s.
Sadly, there are no longer any views from the Rock itself, due to tall timber regrowth since the disastrous bushfires of the 1970s. In the early 1900s, most of the natural timber had been cut down and removed from the region, and views from the Rock would have been excellent.
However, the views from Rock Track were superb, easterly to the Donna Buang/Victoria/Ben Cairn massif, and northerly to Mts St Leonard, Tanglefoot, and Monda.
I have included some archival photos taken in 1910 of visitors on the Rock - some trees in those photos are still standing in 2008, 92 years later!
More than 300 million years ago, a large volcano erupted through the earth's crust, near the present township of Olinda. The impact of weathering on the volcanic rocks by the water and wind contrasted with the softer sedimentary rocks to form the Dandenong Ranges. Lookout Rock is on the rim of the original crater. The Rock looks much the same, and hasn't changed much in 300 million years...!
See the full set of Photos
My 4.5 km walk took me along Mathias Rd, Rock Track, and Conus Track, on the perimeter of the wonderful Forest Arboretum.
The Rock is adjacent to the Olinda Golf Course, and has been a popular destination for visitors since the late 1800s.
Sadly, there are no longer any views from the Rock itself, due to tall timber regrowth since the disastrous bushfires of the 1970s. In the early 1900s, most of the natural timber had been cut down and removed from the region, and views from the Rock would have been excellent.
However, the views from Rock Track were superb, easterly to the Donna Buang/Victoria/Ben Cairn massif, and northerly to Mts St Leonard, Tanglefoot, and Monda.
I have included some archival photos taken in 1910 of visitors on the Rock - some trees in those photos are still standing in 2008, 92 years later!
More than 300 million years ago, a large volcano erupted through the earth's crust, near the present township of Olinda. The impact of weathering on the volcanic rocks by the water and wind contrasted with the softer sedimentary rocks to form the Dandenong Ranges. Lookout Rock is on the rim of the original crater. The Rock looks much the same, and hasn't changed much in 300 million years...!
See the full set of Photos
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