The Dandenong Ranges lie on the outer fringe of Melbourne’s metropolis. It is well known for old establishments like the Cuckoo restaurant and Miss Marples. It’s also known for its lookout from the Mt Dandenong Observatory.

But I would say the true calling cards to ‘the hills’ are really the mountains, the ferns and bush, winding roads, extensive walking trails and fog. A substantial artistic community exists here for many of these reasons (oh, and housing affordability..).

My family and I are relatively new to the Dandenong Ranges. We moved here in early 2016 after a long stint living in the USA. We hadn’t actually planned to move here but we found a house in Olinda we couldn’t resist, and decided to take the plunge.

Our guiding principle for our move was to find the adventure in the move. High on our list of what we wanted from our new neighbourhood was:

• a friendly, supportive community
• plenty of open space for us and the kids to roam
• bush for long walks to unwind and reconnect

After our move here, we soon discovered numerous trails through the ferny eucalyptus bush that were easily accessible from our front gate in Olinda. Long walks through the Dandenong Ranges National Park quickly became a source of inspiration for my photographic work and my place to think.We came to realise that many people move here for the same reason and we found ourselves fitting into the friendly, supportive community we had hoped for. Very soon my husband and I agreed that we felt we had arrived home.

And the artist community. Soon I was meeting other creative Mums at my daughter’s new school. The breadth of talent was incredibly inspiring. There are crafters, painters, curators, film makers, photographers, musicians, print makers, potters, sculptors and more.

I like creating networks for myself and I was very lucky to land the job of photographing all the artists for the annual Dandenong Ranges Open Studios event. Through that job I have had the chance to meet over fifty artists in their studios here in the hills, to talk about their work and their journey as artists. And many, just like me, find their inspiration from the stunning natural environmental on our doorstep here.

The Dandenong Ranges Open Studios event has been running eleven years. For many artists up here it’s the most important weekend for them in the year, visited by people from far and wide. For more information about the event CLICK HERE.

It is incredibly fulfilling for me to do my bit to support the community of creative people here. And here are some of the thirty artists I photographed who are opening the doors to their studios this weekend.