By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
IN THE summer heat the Dandenong Ranges offer the perfect shady escape under the canopy of gumtrees and ferns.
If lying about in the shade of the trees isn’t your speed, then Trees Adventure offers a whole different tree-based experience.
Get off the ground and get up into some rare exotic trees with Australia’s premier treetop adventure ropes experience.
Leap, jump and fly between trees high up in the canopy of the roped courses and flying foxes at Trees Adventure in Glen Harrow Gardens Belgrave.
Open seven days a week with only thunderstorms stopping the fun, Trees Adventure provides the ultimate summer activity for intrepid tree climbers of all ages.
Botanists will also get a kick out of visiting Glen Harrow Gardens for the range of exotic trees and plants in the reserve such as the Algerian Oak, Sequoia, Conifer, Chinquapin, and Himalayan Lily.
As a special Christmas treat, Trees Adventure will be hosting the First Treetop Aerial Show in Melbourne for a very exclusive five shows only between 18 and 22 December.
Aerial circus performers will bring the treetops to life with death-defying skills including swinging on silks, wheels, straps and more.
Belgrave’s own Grunge Cafe will be supplying food and snacks for purchase during the show, or you can bring a picnic basket and set yourself up with your favourite nibbles.
If staying in the shade but safely on the ground is more your style, then be sure to take a drive up to SkyHigh Mount Dandenong.
A breathtaking dining experience with beautifully landscaped gardens and a hedged maze, SkyHigh is a more low-key family escape from the summer heat.
Lose yourself in the SkyHigh maze that offers a secret and shady escape filled with sculptures, illusions and butterflies.
The Dandenong Ranges are a horticultural delight for anyone and these are only two of the many delights awaiting visitors to the Hills.
