24 April - dawdling in the Dandenongs

I needed some fresh air, and a day in the country seemed to be just the thing. So, after a hearty breakfast, I made my way to Southern Cross Station (formerly Spencer Street, for those of you that know the city) to buy a ticket to Belgrave, a terminus station east of Melbourne.

Locating my train, I made myself comfortable for the ride through some curiously familiar suburbs, even though the order was somewhat unusual, the train stopping at Richmond, Camberwell, Mitcham and Bayswater en route to the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. The Melbourne suburbs are indeed as you might expect if you’re a regular viewer of Neighbours, quiet streets of predominantly single storey dwellings, all wood and surrounded by trees. It looks vaguely idyllic, in the same way that 1950’s suburban America always did in the movies, but I suspect that anyone under the age of 30 is desperate to get away.

“But why the Dandenongs?”, you might ask. Belgrave is probably most famous for being the terminus for Australia’s oldest steam railway, the Puffing Billy, which travels about fifteen miles to Gembrook, a small town about 1,000 feet up in the Dandenongs, in an area of rustic beauty, and my destination for the day.

It is clearly intended for tourists, and the carriages are laid out so that passengers face sideways, i.e. at the view. On the other hand, I was keen on an authentic train experience, and located a real carriage with separate compartments and seats facing each other. This is clearly a minority taste, as I had the carriage to myself, but it allowed me to open the windows and travel like a genuine passenger.

The two hours journey to Gembrook was a delightful one, with some lovely scenery, and the old-fashioned pleasure of a proper train ride. Onwards and upwards we climbed and fell, past Selby and Menzies Creek, Emerald and Lakeside, before the train pulled into Gembrook.

Gembrook presented a problem, in that whilst it is charming, there is little to do. So, discovering a sign for native bush land, I decided that a nature ramble was called for, and took a stroll in the woods. Whilst signs of wildlife were few, it was nice to ‘commune with nature’ and enjoy the green of trees and ferns, offset by a clear blue sky. However, all of that fresh air was making me thirsty, and a beer was called for…

Back on the train, a somewhat faster journey to Belgrave was followed by a zigzag through the eastern suburbs before grabbing dinner at the Rooftop Bar of the Central Hotel in Richmond and on to an early evening in my comfortable hotel room. Tomorrow sees me heading for another country, so I’ll need to be fairly sharp in the morning…