1000 Steps, Ferntree Gully: Car Park Full by 10am on Weekends, 1,200m From the Train, Night Closures Until 19 November (VIC)

Parks Victoria says the car park at Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground, where the 1000 Steps starts, will be full by 10am on most weekend mornings. Its alternatives are One Tree Hill Picnic Ground at the top of the steps, or the train: it is a leisurely 1200m stroll from Upper Fern Tree Gully station to the bottom of the steps. This guide sets out what Parks Victoria says about getting there, the hours, the closures that apply until 19 November 2026 and the walk itself, as of 10 November 2026.

Where does the 1000 Steps start?

Parks Victoria describes the 1000 Steps as probably Melbourne’s most popular bushwalk, and says it is officially the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk. It departs from Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground, which is just at the junction of the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road and the Burwood Highway in Upper Ferntree Gully. The walk winds up a steep hill along a creek through rainforest and emerges into a clearing with views of Melbourne through the trees, and the loop is completed by taking the Lyrebird Track back to the car park.

Can I park at the 1000 Steps?

The page says the 1000 Steps is a very popular walk and the car park at Ferntree Gully picnic area will be full by 10am on most weekend mornings. It says you might have better luck at One Tree Hill Picnic Ground at the top of the 1000 Steps. It also suggests leaving the car at home. It gives no parking fee or number of spaces. Parks Victoria lists the facilities at the 1000 Steps as a car park, picnic area, lookout and toilets.

Can I get there by train?

Yes. Parks Victoria says it is a leisurely 1200m stroll from Upper Fern Tree Gully train station to the bottom of the steps. The page does not name the train line or give times.

When is it open, and when is it closed?

Place	Vehicle gate hours, per Parks Victoria
Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground (including the 1000 Steps)	Open 6:00am to 9:00pm daily
Doongalla Picnic Ground	Daylight saving gates open 6:00am to 9:00pm daily; non-daylight saving gates 6:00am to 6:00pm
One Tree Hill Picnic Ground	Daylight saving gates open 6:00am to 9:00pm daily; non-daylight saving gates 6:00am to 6:00pm
Valley and Eagles Nest picnic grounds	Daylight saving gates open 9:00am to 6:00pm daily; non-daylight saving gates 9:00am to 4:00pm

The park is open every day, including weekends and public holidays. Parks Victoria says the entire Dandenong Ranges National Park, including the 1000 Steps at Ferntree Gully, is closed on days when the Fire Danger Rating is Extreme or above, and the park pages also list closures for severe weather events.

What are the deer control closures?

Parks Victoria’s Change of Conditions notice says deer control operations will continue within Dandenong Ranges National Park from 16 August to 19 November 2026. The works are conducted on selected nights between 4:00pm and 7:00am by accredited and authorised contractors. To ensure public safety, some areas of the park will be temporarily closed and inaccessible during the operations, with signage displayed at park access points where control activities are taking place. The notice says to read all signage and not enter closed areas, and gives 13 1963 for further information. The control sites are in an attached document, “DRNP control sites 26-27”, which is not part of the page text we read.

What is the walk like?

Parks Victoria says the path is steep and the hazards listed for the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk are a slippery surface, a steep track, and falling trees and limbs. It lists no dogs, no bicycles, no camping, no fires and no horses. Its history notes say the steps were originally made from tree fern trunks laid along the wetter areas of the track, replaced by wooden palings, with concrete steps installed in 1950. Veterans of the Kokoda campaign adopted the park as their memorial site in 1998, and fourteen plaques along the walk are dedicated to the Australian Military Forces who fought and died on Kokoda.

For a quieter visit, Parks Victoria says to go midweek or early in the morning, or both, and that winter is probably the best time to visit, because it is still busy but quieter than in warmer months. It names the Ramblers Track Loop as a gentler walk through old-growth forest, and the Granite Track in Lysterfield Park as a less popular but similarly demanding alternative. The 1000 Steps Cafe is on site.

How do I get to Sherbrooke Falls?

Parks Victoria says to drive by taking Sherbrooke Road off Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. Sherbrooke Picnic Ground is a 2km drive from the turn off, and O’Donohue Picnic Ground is a little further, off Sherbrooke Lodge Road. You can walk to the falls from either picnic ground, along the Sherbrooke Track or the O’Donohue Track, which are well signposted. The page says the falls are small and obscured by tree ferns, and are best after rain. It names the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens, just over the road from Sherbrooke Picnic Ground, and the village of Kallista, where refreshments can be bought.

What other closures and conditions apply?

Parks Victoria lists three further notices. Georges Track in the Olinda and Silvan area is pedestrian and horse riding access only, because of unstable ground from a damaged underground culvert. Grants Picnic Ground Cafe is temporarily closed, with a mobile coffee van operating on site from Tuesday to Saturday. The Margaret Lester Forest Walk at Grants Picnic Ground no longer meets the expected standard of an all abilities trail, because of the age and condition of the trail surface, and Parks Victoria says planning for an upgrade has been done but delivery timeframes are still being confirmed. Assistance dogs are welcome in Parks Victoria parks, and entry requirements apply in usually dog-prohibited parks such as national parks.

What is still unknown?

The pages we read do not say which sites close on which nights during deer control, give a parking fee or a count of spaces at Ferntree Gully, name the train line to Upper Fern Tree Gully, or give a train timetable. The notices are as published on 10 November 2026, and Parks Victoria says conditions can change at short notice.

Sources

• Parks Victoria — 1000 Steps Walk (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Dandenong Ranges National Park (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Ferntree Gully Picnic Ground (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Kokoda Track Memorial Walk (checked 10 November 2026)
• Parks Victoria — Sherbrooke Falls walk and picnic area (checked 10 November 2026)

Featured image: trees in the Dandenong Ranges, May 2016 (photo: Chris Reithel / CC BY-SA 4.0, text added). Other photos are from Wikimedia Commons and were taken between 2010 and 2021.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Parks Victoria.