Travel blogger @TheHennaShah explored Puffing Billy & The Dandenong Ranges with team member Rob. She wrote about her adventures with us on her Travel & Wellbeing blog and kindly allowed us to share it here.
Puffing Billy Private Tour from Melbourne: Steam Engine Train, Redwood Forest & High Tea in the Mountains
Where is Melbourne? This vibrant Australian city in Victoria is located along Australia’s southern coast, facing the Southern Ocean. One of the best things to do in Melbourne is taking a trip to the Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley which are located about 1.5 to 2 hours away from the city, revealing the region’s true beauty.
When I started planning our trip to Australia, I kept coming across recommendations for the top day trip from Melbourne and time and again, the Puffing Billy steam train through the Dandenong Ranges came up. But instead of trying to DIY it or squeeze into a packed small group tour, we booked a private tour with Your Exclusive Tours.
Our guide and chauffeur, Rob Rees, made the entire experience seamless and personal. From the moment he picked us up in Melbourne, it felt like we were traveling with someone who knew the history, the hidden stops, and how to make the most of our time without ever feeling rushed.
If I had more time, I’d do two separate day tours to these beautiful regions in Victoria on a private tour with Your Exclusive Tours. Read on to know why.
Table of contents
- Puffing Billy Railway: Riding the iconic steam engine
- High tea with vegetarian food in the Dandenong Ranges
- Australia in winter: Scenic drive through the Yarra Valley
- California Redwood Forest at Cement Creek (one of the few outside California)
- Last word: Take a private tour in Victoria vs Self drive in Victoria
We were picked up from our hotel in Melbourne by our chauffeur guide Rob Rees for our private tour to the Puffing Billy, Dandenong and Yarra Ranges. We made our way out of the city on the winding roads of the Dandenong Ranges to reach Belgrave, which gave us all the feels of a yesteryear railway station in a cold mountain town with temperatures dropping as low as 5 degrees celsius and the wind whistling through the trees. Rob thoughtfully provided us with ponchos in case we needed them during our train ride.
The moment I stepped onto the vintage carriage, I understood why Puffing Billy is so famous. With our legs swinging out the side (yes, that’s encouraged here!), we chugged through fern gullies and towering eucalyptus trees on our way to Lakeside. While our carriage had people across all age groups, we were all transformed into excited children waving at passersby along the way and it felt like the passersby were waiting for the steam train to arrive.
Pro tip: A one-way Puffing Billy journey takes about an hour. Also, sit on the right side of the carriage for better views of the valley below. The round trip, including an hour-long break at Lakeside, totals 5 hours. However, I’d recommend the one-way journey to appreciate the landscape and move on to explore other areas in the second half of the day.
With Rob, getting our Puffing Billy tickets was effortless—the ticket cost was included in our private tour package. You’d definitely want to do Puffing Billy as part of a guided tour because if you self-drive, you’d have to take the round trip to return to your car parked at Belgrave.
The experience with Your Exclusive Tours was so seamless that Rob handled everything: fetching our tickets from the window, escorting us to our carriage, positioning himself at a midway stop to capture photos as the train passed through a bridge, and arriving at Lakeside before we did, ready to get us back into the car.
After the train ride, Rob whisked us to Miss Marples Tea Room in Sassafras, a cosy English-style cottage where time seemed to slow down. This Devonshire High Tea experience was magical, the interiors transported us back in time, with a variety of teapots, quaint floral curtains and tablecloths creating the perfect atmosphere for a traditional high tea in the Dandenongs.
Inside, the smell of cinnamon, warm bread, and creamy tea was irresistible. We ordered a hearty pasty, cauliflower soup, a chai tea latte, and the Antipodean staple Flat White—you could never go wrong with coffee while in Victoria. Of course, we couldn’t resist their famous scones, easily the best scones in Victoria, served with thick cream and jam. Clearly, there was no dearth of vegetarian options in their menu, you had all the more variety if you were open to hidden eggs.
Pro tip: If you want to spend the whole day in the Dandenong Ranges, you could also spend the afternoon exploring the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens near Miss Marples. However, since we had plans to explore the Royal Botanic Gardens back in the city, which is one of the most recommended things to do in Melbourne, we decided to skip this one and continue our day in the mountains exploring other hidden gems in Victoria.
Australia in winter: Scenic drive through the Yarra Valley
After that lovely high tea, we descended from the Dandenong Ranges and soaked in the scenic vistas of the Yarra Valley. Since we were there in June, the panorama was painted auburn with autumn foliage strewn across the road as we passed by.
Though we opted for high tea this time, Your Exclusive Tours had offered us the option to visit a Yarra Valley winery, as the region is renowned for its exceptional Pinot Noir. The Yarra Valley’s cool climate and rolling hills create perfect conditions for world-class wine production, making it a must-visit destination for wine enthusiasts. However, since we had very recently taken wine tasting tours at Gibbston Valley in New Zealand and the Loire Valley in France, we decided to look beyond wine on this trip.
Pro tip: You’ll also discover charming vintage and thrift shops scattered throughout the Yarra Valley, perfect for those who love unique finds and local treasures. Whether you’re interested in wine tasting, antiquing, or simply enjoying the stunning scenery, you can easily customize your experience. All you have to do is let your guide know your preferences or discuss your ideal itinerary when booking your private tour with Your Exclusive Tours, they’re incredibly flexible in crafting the perfect day around your interests.
Our final stop for the day was at the California Redwood Forest at Cement Creek. I had never seen Redwoods in my life before this magical moment. This little corner of Victoria boasts a natural Redwood Forest, one of the few located outside of California. Standing beneath the perfectly aligned trunks of towering Californian redwoods, I felt like I’d stepped into another world entirely.
We spent some time in this wonderland, spotting wedding flowers left behind by couples who had clearly chosen this enchanting location for their photo shoots. We were there on a chilly and rainy June afternoon, but I could easily imagine how perfect this spot would be on a sunny day for a forest picnic.
If you’re debating between a guided tour vs self-guided tour of the Puffing Billy, Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley, I would definitely rule out the self-guided option. Going solo means you’d have to take the full 5-hour round trip on the Puffing Billy Railway, leaving no time to explore the broader region. Plus, Puffing Billy tickets are notoriously difficult to secure if you don’t book through a tour company.
When it comes to guided tours, standard group tours simply can’t offer the flexibility for experiences like our Devonshire High Tea or the magical Redwood Forest visit alongside the Puffing Billy Railway. Some small group tours even rush you by combining Puffing Billy with Phillip Island in a single day, which feels incredibly cramped.
The best way to truly customize your day tour is through a private tour, where you can soak in the region’s beauty at your own pace. From the soothing rhythm of a steam engine to the flaky crust of a vegetarian pasty, our private Puffing Billy tour with Your Exclusive Tours felt like a storybook adventure come to life.
Rob transformed our day from a simple excursion into something extraordinary—managing all our bookings, perfectly timing our schedule so we returned to Melbourne in time for dinner, and even serving as our personal photographer to capture those Instagram-worthy moments. When you choose the right tour operator, a day trip becomes an unforgettable journey through some of Victoria’s most enchanting landscapes.
Video highlights of Henna’s adventures are available here.