Dandenong Ranges National Park, Nature reserve in City of Knox, Australia

Dandenong Ranges National Park is a nature reserve east of Melbourne featuring dense mountain forests, waterfalls, and numerous walking trails. The landscape is marked by steep volcanic hills covered in tall trees.

The park was proclaimed on 13 December 1987, amalgamating Ferntree Gully National Park, Sherbrooke Forest and Doongalla Estate. Ferntree Gully had been reserved as a park in 1882, the first of the areas protected here. In 1997 Olinda State Forest, Mount Evelyn and Montrose Reserve were formally added. Timber cutting for Melbourne and farming after roads and railways arrived reshaped the slopes.

The park lies in the country of the Bunurong and Woewurrong Aboriginal peoples, not the Wurundjeri. The Thousands Steps trail in the Ferntree Gully section, over 700 steps across 2.5 km to One Tree Hill, commemorates the Kokoda Track battle fought in Papua during World War II.

The park has five picnic areas with grills, parking, tables, and restrooms for day visitors. Plan your visit in advance to choose the best route and picnic spot for your needs.

A cat curfew introduced across the Dandenong Ranges in 1991 is credited with a marked rise in lyrebirds and other native species. The park's five sections were assembled over decades: Ferntree Gully, Sherbrooke Forest and Doongalla Estate were amalgamated in 1987, and Olinda State Forest, Mount Evelyn and Montrose Reserve followed in 1997.