Dandenong's Pixie Waltz

Is there a more enchanted forest than the Dandenongs? Tall mountain ash stretch to the sky whilst Gondwana ferns decorate the mossy gullies. With such Tolkien-like scenery, the bushwalker soon becomes convinced that pixies must surely live among the ferns—though expect a heated debate about whether they're actually elves, tree spirits, or just hikers who got lost in the '90s and never left.

This hike follows little-used trails from Upper Ferntree Gully Railway Station to Mt Dandenong Hotel. Mainly on track, with the occasional wombat trail, the route has a total elevation gain of over 1,000m—which means plenty of time to discuss the meaning of life, free will vs determinism, and whether that last steep incline was really necessary.
On the way, there are several sights. There's the Doongalla Picnic Ground, set in an English garden next to a historic homestead. It's probably the most romantic picnic ground you can find—though whether romantic means "charming" or "a great place to argue about capitalism vs socialism" is open to interpretation.

From Mt Dandenong Hotel, a bus will take you back to the start via a route so scenic, it's almost worth the price of a Myki pass. But why rush? We’ll pause for a drink at the Mt Dandenong Hotel, where you can continue debating life's biggest questions—like whether objective truth exists, if democracy is truly functional, and of course, who’s picking up the next round.