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The Dandenong Ranges on the east of Melbourne have long been a magnet for the city's day-trippers. We had a wonderful day out there in late January with fantastic food, fun shopping and a walk around a lush green gardens that was very welcome after the record breaking heat the previous day.
We are lucky to have such a beautiful part of the state on Melbourne's doorstep. It is slightly over an hour's drive from the inner north. The last part of the drive has great views as the road heads upwards into the hills. Visitors can enjoy scenic drives, lookouts, walks, gardens, cafes. (The Dandenongs are not to be confused with an outer south east suburb of Melbourne called Dandenong. The mountain range and the suburb are joined by the Dandenong Creek.)
Ripe Cafe
376-378 Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras
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In late January, Sylvia had only been vegan a few weeks. When thinking about where to eat, we were both wondering if we could get her a good meal. There weren't heaps of promising places but we only needed one one good one and we found it in Ripe Cafe. It had an impressive menu for vegans and beautiful food for everyone.
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The day before, we had been sweltering with the air conditioner on in 44 C heat. We had been making contingency plans in case there were bushfires in the Dandenongs. It was a relief that it was a cooler day and no bushfire warnings when we set out but the buildings were still a bit stuffy.
One of the signs of that scorching hot day that I remember most was out the front of Ripe. The hydrangea flowers by the fence were mostly brown and crispy from the extreme heat. With hindsight, I can see that these outdoor tables were probably the coolest but we were still craving air conditioning!
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Inside the building we were welcomed by the rich dark tones of the wood panelling of the older part of the house that is one of the original houses from the early 20th Century soon after it become a village. It has a rustic cosiness that would be great in winter.
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We sat in the older part of the cafe but at the end where we could enjoy the natural light where it opened onto the back deck. This is a modern extension in pale wood with large windows opened up to the green trees out the back. Fans were rotating in the high ceiling but it was still warm inside.
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Sylvia
and I shared the a couple of items because it was hard to decide which one we each wanted most. We had the Italian tomato arancini served with salad and aioli ($24). They were beautifully served with quite a substantial side salad of lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tomato, red pepper and red onion. I love it when the side salad is bigger than its companion. The crispy arancini were a fine match for the salad being crisp and tasty. To drink I had a Remedy wild berry kombucha and Sylvia had an iced coffee.
We also had a magnificent Veggie Big Breakfast of Thai corn cakes with chilli jam, wilted spinach, guacamole, chargrilled pumpkin, dukkah & pecans, sourdough toast, beans, grilled tomato & mushrooms ($30), and a side order of vegan feta ($5). This was so innovative and beautifully executed. I really loved that they had the corn cake (even if the chilli jam was a bit too spicy but not outrageously so) and the pumpkin and pecans were also unusual but they worked. Kudos for the lovely charred tomatoes and I approve of mixing the greens and mushrooms. The home made beans and the feta were also delicious.
It was heartening to see how good vegan food could be in the foothills of Melbourne. On the way out, I really wanted to have one of the gooey brownies at the counter but there were other temptations nearby.
Through the Looking Glass bookstore
3/383 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras VIC 3787
Sassafras is one of the tourist towns in the Dandenongs with some fine shops. We wanted to visit Miss Marple's Tearoom but were so full we browsed the shops first. We passed the delightfully named Geppetto's Workshop toy store and the sweet aromas of Bluestone Candles before arriving at the gorgeous Through the Looking Glass bookstore.
The displays of books inside is attractively displayed in old wooden bookshelves that are filled with second hand books and on glass shelves with lots of mirrors and lights. We were first attracted by a great selection of children's literature and then darling literary gifts. It is filled with books I would love to read and I left with a purchase of the Red Queen by Margaret Drabble, which very much enjoyed reading.
The Little Eclectic Shop
Shop 1/372 Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras
One of the reasons to visit Sassafras for Sylvia was The Little Eclectic Shop. She knew of it because she is a fan of Moons Claygrounds that sells its gorgeous mushroom pottery here. But there was so much more to see. Lots of charming hand crafted items and carefully chosen eclectic second hard wares. The shop is actually a series of sections by different sellers. The displays are works of art.
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In this display alone you can see tea cups, floral kitchen canisters, earrings, wooden carved owls, fans, fabric mushrooms, vases, china thimbles, silver jewelry, memorial tea spoons, bunting. Elsewhere were hard cover Enid Blyton books, stickers, felt dinosaurs, tiaras, hand knitted beanies and bookmarks.
One of my favourite items was the vintage candy dispenser that you can see above which was filled with odd buttons. Also in the bottom left hand corner is a silver filigree butterfly hair barette with a stick that I bought for Sylvia for her birthday. She loved it.
Miss Marple's Tearoom
382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Sassafras
The famous Miss Marple's Tearoom is just a few doors down from Ripe so we could not pass up the opportunity to visit. Initially we were concerned that there was nothing more for Sylvia than a drink. Then we were delighted when she saw online that they have vegan scones with jam and cream. It is such as delightful slice of English village life in an unlikely setting.
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The exterior recreation of an English cottage looks odd in an Australian bush town. Walking inside is like stepping back in time. I have been there a couple of times previously. You can read my post about a previous visit to Miss Marple's tearoom for Christmas in July. Sylvia can't remember visiting with me and her dad when she was 2 years old. (A couple of photos from that visit are in this post.)
We were very pleased to be at Miss Marple's on the day when school went
back when it was quiet and there was no waiting list. You can't book so
there are often queues. Unlike past visits, there was plenty of choice for where to sit.
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There is so much to admire
in the cosy village decor: the dark beams on the pale ceiling, the pots
by the fireplace, the floral table cloths, the cute window seats, and the shelves around the walls
holding old teapots. I am sure it would be a lovely setting for one of Miss Marple's denouements after solving a crime.
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On the walls are black and white photos of Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. She was well known in the 1960s for her role playing the amateur detective in films based on Agatha Christie's murder mystery novels. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster in villages riff with gossip and secrets. I imagine that she would be quite at home in the this tea room but I am not sure the scones would be quite up to her standard,
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This is the window seat where we sat. Although it was a quiet day, the window seats were popular and we were lucky to chance upon one when someone was leaving. It is so charmingly frilling and floral and cosy.
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As I mentioned above, the scones were not the best I had had. I was surprised that the normal scone were large wedges cut from a tray of scones rather than the traditional round scones. They were a bit dry too but nice with jam and cream. I was lucky that mine weren't as dry as Sylvia's round vegan scones. She had vegan whipped coconut cream which was a nice gesture but a bit melty as coconut cream can be. The highlight was the surperb home made strawberry jam. That is to be expected in a part of Melbourne well known for its orchards and berry farms.
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One other highlight was the staff. They were really friendly and seemed happy to have a quiet day after the busy summer school holiday period. It made for a relaxed visit. After we paid, we had a look at all the jams and teapots on the old dresser by the door.
Cloudehill Gardens,
Olinda
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Our last place to visit was the Cloudehill Gardens (89 Olinda-Monbulk Rd) the next town along from Sassafras. I had worried the gardens might look a bit wilting after a scorcher the previous day but they were gorgeous and green with lots of colourful flowers and welcome shade. It was so much cooler outdoors and I enjoyed strolling around.
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This tree was wonderfully complex with twirly branches twisting out at all angles like athe snake haired Medusa or maybe even like a bonsai tree all grown up! It would not be out of place in a spooky horror movie or as one of the talking trees in Babes in the Wood. As you can see, it evoked so many wonderful images!
On the website, the history focuses on the 1920s for bringing rare and exotic plants from England, the USA and Japan. I would have liked to ask if this was one of the trees that are almost 100 years old if I had read about these before we visited.
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This view from the back of a brick shelter over a bench seat is another example of the wonderful framing of the garden. We sat here for a rest and were surprised to hear what we thought were bells.
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Later as I walked high along by the kitchen garden, where I wished I could have some of the abundance of zucchinis or rhubarb. I could hear the bells again so I followed the path to this structure that had huge wind chimes that were ringing out in the breeze like some mysterious magical calling.
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From the bench seat, Sylvia and I parted ways as I decided to go further down into the less formal part of the garden. There were avenues of trees, gentle steps, occasional artworks but less of the framing hedges and walls with flowers and water features. Above is the Beech Walk.
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In the less formal parts I would come across statues such as this one among the urns. Some statues were the classical sort sort you might expect in a Victorian garden and there were quite a few of this woman. I don't know who she is but it looks more person than the classical statues.
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Towards the end I got lost, despite the helpful look of this little wombat figure at the top of stairs with tree ferns either side. The map I was given at reception got confusing in the wilder areas. Since then I have seen the map on the Cloudehill website which looks more helpful. It has more details of the garden drawn in and comes with information about different areas. Perhaps if I had had this map I would not have been messaging Sylvia that I would meet her at the gift shop as soon as I could find my way there.
Tealeaves Tea Shop
29 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda
Our last stop was in Olinda where I was attracted to this find piece of Alice in Wonderland art on the wall of the Tealeaves tea shop. I took a photo and had a quick look in the shop. I remember when the Tealeaves shop was close to Miss Marples Tearoom in Sassafras. The tea shop moved to Olinda in 2025 so they had more space for the huge range of mugs, teapots, tea accessories and loose leaf teas.
By then I was quite tired and it was I was quite tired and could not give the shop the attention it deserved, but I enjoyed looking over the Australiana mugs and quirky teapots. However I had a long drive ahead of me so I was soon back in the car to head home.
More Dandenongs visits in Green Gourmet Giraffe posts:
- Miss Marples - Christmas in July, 2008
- Tulip Festival - 2012
- Puffing Billy - vintage steam engine journey, 2013
- 1000 steps (walking track) in 2014
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