Transport, shopping and development in Ringwood

The railway line from Melbourne commenced its eastward development in 1861 when it reached Hawthorn. It was extended to Camberwell in April 1882 and the final section, from Camberwell to Lilydale, opened as a whole in December 1882. The line to Ferntree Gully followed. The railway also contributed to the growth of neighbouring townships, including Croydon.

The construction of the railway from Hawthorn to Lilydale (through Ringwood) resulted in a consolidation of township facilities, including local churches, banks and schools to accommodate for a growing village and regional population.

Reflecting the priorities of the time, the first main building at the station was a railway goods shed, built in 1887 to serve what would have been predominantly a goods, rather than passenger, railway.

In 1889, Ringwood Station was erected at a cost of 1,374 pounds and as a symbol of the increasing importance of the township.

Considerable suburban expansion during the post-war period gave rise to the declaration in 1960 of the City of Ringwood. At this point Ringwood gained formal recognition as part of the broader metropolitan region, emphasised by the erection of Eastland in 1967 as a major 'new format' retail Centre.

Due to Ringwood’s position as a junction between Melbourne, Lilydale and Ferntree Gully, and roads linking Warrandyte and Dandenong, it was inevitable that the area would develop as a centre of commerce.

Shops began to appear in Main Street Ringwood from the late 1800s. The advent of the railway, and the construction of the station concentrated development generally between Warrandyte Road and Ringwood Street.

The 'ribbon development' of Ringwood moved westward in the 1950s with development of the Olympic Shopping Centre on the site of the Old McClellands Ringwood Market and the Drive-In Shopping Centre (now Murray Place).

Development came back east with the opening of Eastland Shopping Centre on the former Ringwood Football Ground, although the later development of Ringwood Square, now Centro Ringwood, on the corner of Maroondah Highway and New Street, still stretched the centre out.

As well as being one of the dominant retailing centres of Melbourne, Ringwood has also had a prominent presence in the automotive trade and service businesses.

These early businesses developed alongside the orchards, mines and industries that first established Ringwood.