Strzelecki Bushwalking Club - June 2026 - Dandenongs
This month the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club completed a challenging walk in the Mount Dandenong area beginning at the Doongalla Picnic Ground. “Doongalla” means “place of peace”. This forest reserve provides many opportunities for recreation such as trail running, cycling and of course, bush walking! The spectacular forest trails are lined with towering Mountain Ash, Silver Wattle and Blackwood trees. The trails in the Mount Dandenong area can be extremely steep, and a good level of fitness is recommended to complete this walk. Our participants climbed approximately 1070m of elevation throughout our 19km hike. Some of the most amazing views of Melbourne can be seen from Burkes Lookout. After a hard climb participants were rewarded with sweeping panoramic views across Melbourne stretching to Port Phillip Bay. The city skyline rises up in the distance and is framed by a vast suburban sprawl.
A little further into our walk and we came upon Kyeema which was the site of one of Australia’s worst aviation disasters. On October 25, 1938 an ANA Douglas DC2 took off from Adelaide with eighteen people on board bound for Essendon Airport. On approach to Melbourne the flight crew encountered heavy fog and without the aid of modern navigation equipment, lost track of their position. As a result, the plane crashed at Kyeema, Mt Dandenong. All people on board were killed. The Mount Dandenong historical society erected a memorial in 2003 honouring all those who perished in the tragedy.
In the second half of our walk we came across some beautiful glass mosaics that have been created of butterflies, ferns and lyre birds and placed along the track. These works of art are stunning additions to the walking trail and well worth taking a moment to admire as you make your way along the trail.
This walk together with other May activities such as the Loch Valley, Hallston and Mt St Gwinear remind us of the stunning and varied natural landscapes around us that we are fortunate to explore. Thank you to our members who bring camaraderie, encouragement and enthusiasm to every step and make each outing so very enjoyable. We look forward to many more walks in the months ahead with leaders steadily planning June’s activities.
The Strelecki Bushwalking Club continues to hold their monthly meetings in the Trafalgar Scout Hall on the second Thursday of each month beginning at 7.30 p.m. Visitors are most welcome to attend. This is a great opportunity to interact with existing members and answer any questions you may have.
Our newsletter is proudly published online by Mat Morgan and is freely available for anyone to read and enjoy. By sharing our stories, photographs, and walking experiences with the wider community, we hope to inspire others to discover the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club and the wonderful trails we explore together.