Its boundaries meet Upper Ferntree Gully, a separate but similarly named suburb with the same postcode, Boronia to the North, Scoresby to the West and Lysterfield to the South.

Important features of that national park include One Tree Hill (formerly a fire-lookout, but now covered with trees, the lookout has been removed), and the Kokoda Trail, a memorial walk dedicated to the Kokoda Trail of WW2 (includes interpretive signage)—this part of the National Park (which is well known as "1000 steps", where many tourists go) is located in the neighbouring suburb of Upper Ferntree Gully—and accessed via the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road.

The abundance of Tree Ferns stretched from the Township to the National Park and picturesque scenery and lush flora started attracting recreational visitors from the 1870s.

[specify] The Ferntree Gully cemetery is the resting place of a number of historically significant local people as well as world-renowned[specify] artists, authors and poets.

[citation needed] Ambleside Homestead, in Olivebank Road, Ferntree Gully, was built in the 1890s and is now the base for the Knox Historical Society and a local history museum.

Period furnishings and artefacts and vintage farm equipment reflect the pioneer life and development of the area.

The owner of this hotel, one W. Town, gave the name Kent Park to the area west of Dobson Street.

In the early 1900s, the 180 acres (0.73 km2) of Kent Park were used for general grazing, farming, growing oats and keeping a variety of livestock.

[citation needed] A John Aitken bought Kent Park in 1913, selling most of the original purchase to a Mr Powell in 1921.

[2] There is the Ferntree Gully library and community centre, where the Knox Festival is held in March every year (the alternative venue being in Rowville).

Each December, the Knox Christmas Carols are held on the grounds of the Ferntree Gully football/Cricket club in Brenock Park Drive (now known as Wally Tew Reserve).

Notable community and retail sites in Ferntree Gully include the Coolstore on Dorset Road (which was owned and run by local orchardist Ken Dobson and his family for over 40 years until 2007), Woolworths Supermarket, Brennock Park Drive is one of the busiest in Australia, the Knox Environment Society (based at the rear of Ferntree Gully Secondary College, which closed at the end of 2006) and the Knox Historical Society (based at Ambleside Historical homestead).

There are a number of sports represented in Ferntree Gully including cricket, netball (the Mountain Districts Netball Association courts are based in Ferntree Gully), basketball (Knox City Basketball Centre & Club ), Australian rules football (Ferntree Gully Eagles and Fairpark Lions compete in the Eastern Football League[5]), tennis, swimming (Knox-Sherbrooke Swimming Centre), table tennis, lawn bowls and gymnastics (Knox Gymnastics Centre).

Boasting two engine bays and four appliances and a services building at the rear it is one of the busiest volunteer stations in the state.

It is backed up by other volunteer CFA Brigades in The Basin, Scoresby and Upper Ferntree Gully and including two permanent/volunteer stations in Boronia and Rowville.

Mountain Gate Shopping Centre lies on the corner of Ferntree Gully Road and Burwood Highway.