Ringwood

Ringwood is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km (14 mi) east of Melbourne's Central Business District.

Ringwood is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 km (14 mi) east of Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2016 Census, Ringwood had a population of 17,471.

Ringwood has many parks reserves, most notably, Ringwood Lake.

As of July 2012, the average house price in Ringwood was $583,500 and $390,000 for a unit.As of September 2019, the average sale price for a house in Ringwood was $866,000. For a unit, the average sale price was $533,000. The average weekly rent for a house was $435, and for a unit it was $370.

Ringwood village emerged in the mid to late 19th century, following the 1850s land sales. Before this, Ringwood was used primarily for agriculture. The post office opened on 2 August 1875, in the then rural area.In 1882, the construction of the Hawthorn to Lilydale railway through the suburb caused Ringwood to emerge as a more notable town.1924 marked major growth for Ringwood.The railway was electrified and the township was further developed. This development boomed post war, causing the City of Ringwood to be declared in 1960.The Ringwood clock tower was built in 1928 as a memorial to the war. After the successful post-depression subdivisions of land in the area, Ringwood was recognised to be a part of metropolitan Melbourne. Eastland Shopping Centre opened in Ringwood in 1967. It was redeveloped in the late 1990s and again in 2013. Its current state is 131,000 m2 ( 1,410,000 square feet) of retail and hospitality floor space, car parks and a cinema complex.In 2009, the owners of Eastland, Queensland Investment Corporation, planned to commence another redevelopment of the Eastland site. The Arcade near Eastland and the Ringwood Library commenced re-location in 2012. Construction on the new centre began in 2013 and was completed in two stages. Stage one opened on 29 October 2015 and stage two on 5 May 2016.

Ringwood has been the site of a Cadbury chocolate factory since the company's acquisition of MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967. The factory is the company's second-largest in Australia and produces chocolate bars, such as Cherry Ripe and Boost, and Easter eggs.In 2009, the State Government controversially approved the building of a nine-storey housing development near Ringwood Lake, without Council or public consultation.

In 2007, Ringwood became the home of ConnectEast, owner and operator of Melbourne's second toll road, EastLink.

In 2012, major retail chain store Costco announced plans to open in Ringwood. Construction is expected to finish mid-2013. It opened 20 November 2013 (Emma Hastings Maroondah Leader 20 November 2013 12:59PM)Perhaps Ringwood's most global notoriety is the development in 1958 of the "Pride of Ringwood" hop variety, which today flavors Fosters Lager, Victoria Bitter and many other beers around the world. The hops were developed along the Mullum Mullum Creek, near the site of what later became Penguin Books, in 1963.