Friday, May 22, 2009

Olinda Falls Hike



The Olinda Falls are among the most popular attractions in the Dandenong Ranges National Park, 30 km from the Melbourne CBD.

I visited the Olinda Falls on Thursday afternoon May 21, 2009, a cold day in early winter.

There are actully three falls - the upper, middle and lower cascades, with viewing areas for each along the 1 km steep track which starts at the picnic ground on Falls Rd.

Visitors have enjoyed the Falls since the 1860s, well before motor cars made their appearance in Melbourne, when they travelled up Mt Dandenong by horse and buggy!

The Falls were originally known as the "Valinda Falls", the name of the district, which then became "Olinda".

Olinda settlement is perched on the rim of the ancient volcano crater, which last erupted 200 million years ago!

This album shows the walking track, signposts to nearby trails, the falls, the picnic ground, the car park, the viewing platforms, and other visitors.

I have included two archival photographs, showing the Falls Walking Track, and what the Falls looked like around the year 1910.

See the full set of
Photos of my visit!

2 comments:

  1. crystal12:03 AM

    Bob!! YOU are my hero!! What a great blog you have here!! I just hiked Mt. Cannibal near Garfield North at night, and was curious what it looked like during the day! And thanks to you and your photos I now know!! I hail from Northern California, USA, home of the Redwoods! Come out and visit some time and say hello to the tallest trees in the world! It's a magical place!!!

    cheers and thanks again !!!

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  2. very nice review Bob, I am lucky to live close by to this gorgeous spot so visit it quite often with the kids. A great hike to improve fitness levels, we walk down falls road from there up to the Rhododendron gardens too. Those gardens are a big walk in themselves!! Alicia

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