Dandenong Ranges National Park

The region was originally inhabited by the Bunurong and Woewurrong Aboriginal people. Most of the forest got cleared when it became a significant source of timber for Melbourne. During the late last century, farming began in the area as roads and railways were built and the 'Puffing Billy' narrow-gauge line from Ferntree Gully to Gembrook started in 1900. Tourism flourished from the 1870s. The Fern Tree Gully was the first to be reserved as a park in 1882 followed by other areas. The present day national park was established in 1987. ==Features==

Dandenong Ranges National Park is divided into five sections: • Ferntree Gully – The south western section of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, located between the suburbs of Ferntree Gully and Boronia to the west, Upwey to the south, Tremont and Sassafras to the east and The Basin to the north. The park contains the Thousands Steps trail leading to One Tree Hill. File:Sherbrooke Forest Dandenong Ranges.JPG|Sherbrooke Forest File:1000 Steps, Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, Dandenong Ranges National Park.jpg|1000 Steps, Kokoda Track Memorial Walk, Dandenong Ranges National Park File:Lyrebird Track, Dandenong Ranges National Park.jpg|Lyrebird Track, Dandenong Ranges National Park ==Feral pests==

Because the park is located in an urban area, the park has a long history of major problems with feral and roaming animals. A cat curfew was introduced in the entire Dandenong Ranges area in 1991, and since then the numbers and variety of lyrebirds and some other native species have climbed dramatically. ==See also==