Olinda Falls Walking Track, Dandenong Ranges National Park

Olinda Falls Walking Track

Olinda Falls, one of the prettiest waterfalls close to Melbourne, another nearby waterfall walk is to the Sherbrooke Falls. Olinda Falls is the larger of the two and both are best seen after heavy rains.

STILL CLOSED DUE TO THE JUNE 2021 STORMS – Mechanics Track still closed too!

RICKETTS SANCTUARY ALSO CLOSED

AND THE 1000 STEPS (Please let us know if they have been opened up again!)

The walk to the falls is beautiful, though a little steep in parts with uneven rocky steps in the lower section. The falls are in two parts, the upper viewing platform, and the lower viewing area. Make sure to see both viewing areas when you visit.

More waterfalls, quite close to Melbourne, can be seen along the Great Ocean Road. The 7.5km walk from Lorne to Erskine Falls is particularly pretty.

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Watch our short video of the walk down to the falls and returning via Mechanics Track.

Parking at Olinda Falls Car Park

The Falls car park is on the corner of Falls and Doughty’s Roads. Get directions.

Another option to reach the waterfall walk is to park at the Mt Dandenong Arboretum off Ridge Road and walk down Mechanics Track. It is about 2km, steep on the return trip, and can get muddy, but is a lovely bushwalk through the cool temperate rainforest. Click to get directions.
Or – Park on the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road by the Preschool and follow Mechanics Track from there. Click to get directions.

Notes

Total Distance: 600m to 1.6km (depending on the route taken).
Medium grade bushwalk, reasonable fitness level required.
Toilets and parking available at Falls car park
Picnic tables, water, and a fire pit.
Not suitable for wheelchairs or prams.
No dogs, not even in parked cars.

Public Transport to Olinda Falls

Train to Upper Ferntree Gully or Croydon Station then
bus route no. 688 This bus route alternates between going via Ridge Road or
the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, be sure to be on the bus the goes along the
Tourist Road and get off at the corner of Falls Road, by the little stone church
and walk about 1km down Falls Road to the Falls car park.

Are dogs allowed at Olinda Falls? No.

Dogs are not allowed at the Olinda Falls or within the park as it is part of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Many of the parks within the Dandenong Ranges now ban dogs from being left in a parked vehicle. This includes Olinda Falls, Sherbrooke Falls car parking, and Grants Picnic Ground.

You can find dog-friendly areas and walking tracks here, the best off-leash dog walking area is at the old Olinda Golf Course, get directions to the course. There are also 4 wood-burning fireplaces (byo wood) for use at the golf course, under shelter. It is ideal for families and groups to use, parking is available too. A large playground is also at the golf course, a perfect spot for families.

Walking Directions – Olinda Falls

From the car park, it is a 300-metre walk to the falls (each way). Simply head straight down and follow the signs. Coming back it is an uphill climb. The upper and lower viewing areas are easy to find, make sure to go to both of the waterfall viewing areas.

To make the return walk a little more interesting:

Rather than walking back up from the falls the same way, turn left onto Mechanics Track and follow it to Falls Road, turn right and walk about 100 m back to the car park.

Total Walk, if doing the extra little bit, is 1.6 km and takes about an hour. Not allowing for resting and enjoying the falls.

Olinda Falls Picnic Ground, Dandenong Ranges. — Olinda Falls Picnic Ground and information board. Start of the walk.

The pathway to the falls is initially wide with a reasonably gentle slope down (coming back up seems steeper!).

Some quite old tree ferns and gum trees line the pathway down.

Walk slowly, look up while you can and see the canopy.

The upper Olinda Falls from the viewing platform.

Return to the track from the upper falls platform and continue down, the track is narrow and quite steep.

Lots of stone steps down to the lower Olinda Falls viewing area.

Sometime late in 2019 a large tree fell, ruining the viewing area on the other side of the falls and taking out the handrail on the little foot bridge. Use caution if it is still like this when you visit.

View below the foot bridge, the tree that fell was huge. Some of the handrail can be seen way down under the tree trunk.

The return from Olinda Falls is back up via the stone steps again as the track ends here…

At the junction of tracks, rather than return the same way to the car park, turn left onto Mechanic Track.

Mechanics Track can be muddy in wet weather, but it is a gorgeous walk with plenty of big trees.

Watch out for Lyrebirds when walking in the hills. This one was on Mechanics Track.

Olinda Falls Walking Track in the Dandenong Ranges National Park near Melbourne. — Coming out onto Falls Road. turn right to return to the Falls car park, approx. 100 metres away. Or cross the road and continue on Mechanics Track all the way to the Tourist Road, Mt Dandenong Arboretum, or all the way to the summit and Skyhigh!

The circuit walk. Less than 2 km overall.

Nearby Accommodation

How about spending a night or more in the Dandenong Ranges?

One quirky option is to stay in an Air BnB listed vintage caravan, just a 20-minute walk from the Olinda Falls car park. It is set on a 5-acre property with a private rainforest track and a lovely garden to explore. More walks lead off from the property and visitors can easily leave their car behind and walk to the nearby Pig and Whistle Tavern of Mt Dandenong Village. Find out more about this vintage caravan stay.

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