History of the Dandenong Ranges: More than 300 million years ago a great volcano welled up as a cauldron in the crust of the earth in the area cantered near the present township of Olinda. From this cauldron four series of lava flow were extruded. The first massive flows spread as far north as Coldstream. The second flow spread southwards past Fern Tree Gully which today is the base of the ranges as seen from Melbourne. The third lava flow was thinner and formed a platform between the first two flows. The fourth flow followed ejection of volcanic ash and was a thick lava which reached as far as Emerald. After prolonged weathering these rocks broke down to form the rich soil of the forested ranges. The formations left by the erosion, forming the subsided mountain and valleys were first settled around 1855.

The first Inhabitants: The first men to arrive in the Dandenong Ranges were the aborigines. There may have been two migrations with the first being the smaller aborigines similar to the Tasmanian aborigines, perhaps 40 – 60,000 years ago, at the time of an ice age when the sea levels where lower than now and a land bridge existed between Asia and Australia. They were probably later replaced by the second taller race who by this time, were unable to cross Bass Strait into Tasmania because of the higher sea levels. When white man arrived in Victoria in the 1830’s, the Dandenong's were part of the tribal territory of the Wurundjeri tribe. They used the Dandenong's as their summer hunting ground and for gatherings with other adjacent tribes. They came to the hills in search of rest, coolness or to recover after ill-health or battle. They gave the hill a name describing the qualities which attracted them to the place-”Corrhanwarrabul” signifying that this was an attractive place where birds sang, kangaroos jumped and lyrebirds performed. At this time the Dandenong's probably had a park like appearance with mighty mountain ashes soaring up to 100 miters into the sky and grassy glades between them. Most of the soils in the Dandenong's are volcanic in nature representing three or more volcanic eruptions. This contributes to the red earth nature of the soils. Coupled with a rainfall up to 1400 mm in parts, this produced one of nature’s wonderlands with permanent streams descending on both the west and the east sides

The white man: The first white man to claim dominion over part of the Dandenong's, was James Clow whose land stretched from the present city of Dandenong to Olinda and Monbulk. He named his property after the aboriginal name “Corrhanwarrabul”. Other settlers followed and soon the whole of the Dandenong's was included in settler’s runs. In the 1850’s, the Dandenong's attracted the notice of many people with a botanical bent, including the famous Baron von Mueller, Victoria’s Government Botanist. In the 1870’s, von Mueller set up a semi-permanent camp at the Basin in order to make an intense study of the Dandenong's flora. The worth of the mountain ash was recognized by these early adventurers and some were felled for use as masts in the sailing ships of that time. Hence the name “Mast Gully” creek. They were soon followed by the timber getters splitting the logs for palings which were used for sides of houses or fencing material. A timber camp was opened at Olinda in 1855 and another at Kallista in the 1860’s, followed by one at Sassafras in the 1870’s. The timber was taken out by a track via the present Ferntree Gully to Oakleigh where the nearest main road existed. The transport was mainly bullock teams. During the 1880’s and the 1890’s the Dandenong's forests were decimated mainly as a result of poverty stricken city folk being allocated 10 acre farm lets in the Dandenong's on which to make a living.

The name “Kalorama” was coined about the turn of the century by a guest of Ellis Jeeves. The guest was a Reverend Henschelwood who used a derivation of the Greek word KOLOS to mean “beautiful view”. Ellis applied the name to his home and it remained its name until it was demolished by the Forests Commission in 1970. The name Kalorama was applied to the district between 1926 to 32 when, in order to overcome postal confusion, the name was chosen from a list submitted at a public meeting. Kalorama, a residential area in the Mount Dandenong Ranges, is only 36 km east of the City of Melbourne. It can best be reached via the Tourist Road from Montrose which is situated at the end of Canterbury Road.  There is a special viewing position at the Five Ways Corner with a panoramic view over the Sylvan Reservoir and the Olinda State Forest to the Warburton Ranges. Much of Kalorama is parkland and forest reserve, which adds to the spacious residential environment. Some of the houses date from pre-war times when Kalorama was a weekend resort. Several resort and guest-house places continue to offer accommodation to visitors. This includes a large number of very romantic, luxury Bed and Breakfast places.

Places To Visit: Kalorama Scenic Lookout , numerous gardens and nurseries, feed the kookaburras, Parrots and watch the city lights by night. Experience the country atmosphere, the forests of the Dandenong Ranges with all it's bird life and tranquillity or play golf at the Olinda Golf course. Visit the tea houses, restaurants, coffee shops, craft shops, antique shops and Mt Dandenong Observatory Restaurant for great views. Try walking, cycling or horse riding. Enjoy a picnic at the many Picnic Grounds. Catch the historic Puffing Billy train. Spending time at romantic Bed & Breakfasts or Country Houses. Walk through the National Park Rain Forest. See Historic Homes, the Tulip Farm or fish for Rainbow Trout. Visit the Country Markets, Sherbrooke Forest, the Yarra Valley Wineries and Healesville Sanctuary. This is an ideal spot for a Weekend Getaway. If you decide to walk in the Dandenong Ranges be sure to take a map (perhaps a mobile phone), a hat and sunscreen, and observe National Park guidelines such as fire restrictions, respecting local flora and fauna, leaving cats or dogs at home, not littering, and riding mountain bikes only on designated trails.

The best northerly access to the Dandenong Ranges is via Canterbury Road and Montrose onto the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road to Kalorama and Olinda or the southern access via Burwood Highway and Ferntree Gully onto Mt Dandenong Tourist Road to Sassafras. The many Bush Nature Walks are denoted by markers and information sheets which describe the plants along the walks.

Reference: Parks Victoria