Ringwood,
Victoria.
A city in Melbourne’s east with its own infrastructure: a 131,000 m² shopping centre, a regional aquatic centre, a six-storey community library, direct rail to the CBD, and EastLink to everywhere else.
Ringwood, Victoria. The definitive guide.
Ringwood (postcode 3134) is a suburb 25 km east of Melbourne CBD, located in the City of Maroondah. It is a designated Metropolitan Activity Centre the state government’s planning category for centres with CBD-level infrastructure and density.
The suburb is built around Ringwood Station (Belgrave and Lilydale lines), Eastland Shopping Centre (131,000 m²), Aquanation regional aquatic centre, the Realm community library and innovation hub, and EastLink (M3).
The median house price was $1,000,000 for the June 2025 quarter (REIV). The Cadbury chocolate factory has operated in Ringwood since 1967. The clock tower war memorial (1928) predates Eastland by nearly 40 years.
Ringwood was formally declared a city on 19 March 1960 one of the few suburbs in Melbourne’s east to have held that status. The infrastructure reflects it.
Ringwood was declared a city in 1960. It was the only city in Melbourne’s east for a decade. That history as a self-contained centre not a bedroom suburb of somewhere else is still visible in its infrastructure today.
Postcode 3134 key data:
- 25 km east of Melbourne CBD · City of Maroondah
- Population 19,144 (ABS 2021 Census) up 9.6% from 2016
- Median age 38 · predominant age group 30–39
- Owner-occupied approximately 57.8%
- Train station: Ringwood Station Belgrave and Lilydale lines, direct to CBD approx. 40–45 min
- Road access: EastLink (M3) opened 2008, Maroondah Highway east-west arterial
- Eastland: 131,000 m² retail, hospitality, IKEA, Costco, and cinema
- Parks: Ringwood Lake Park (8.5 ha), Mullum Mullum Creek Trail
Fletchers Maroondah: Reilly Waterfield · Director & Auctioneer · 0413 052 644 · 03 9870 4444
What defines Ringwood
Ringwood’s growth has been tied to successive redevelopments of the Eastland precinct. In 2013–2016, IKEA, Costco, and the Eastland Town Square outdoor precinct were added alongside a Hoyts cinema complex. Aquanation opened across from the station. Realm opened in 2017. The precinct now functions as an outer-eastern CBD.
The unit market in Ringwood is proportionally large 324 unit sales in the past 12 months versus 153 house sales. This reflects the suburb’s Metropolitan Activity Centre designation. The house market, by contrast, sits on quieter streets where post-war homes on generous blocks trade in the $900,000–$1.3M range.
Quick suburb facts
- Postcode 3134 · City of MaroondahOuter eastern Melbourne
- $1,000,000 median house priceREIV June 2025 quarter
- Metropolitan Activity CentreState-designated growth hub
- Declared a city 1960Only city in Melbourne’s east for a decade
- 3 private secondary schoolsAquinas, Yarra Valley Grammar, Tintern
- Cadbury factory since 1967One of Melbourne’s longest-running food manufacturers
Ringwood property market. 2026 data.
The median house price in Ringwood, Victoria (postcode 3134) was $1,000,000 for the June 2025 quarter (REIV via Fletchers). CoreLogic records the rolling 12-month median at $1,058,800 with 2.00% annual growth and 153 house sales.
Houses average 25 days on market. The auction clearance rate for houses is approximately 67.4% (Reilly Waterfield / CoreLogic 2026). There were 324 unit sales in the past 12 months a ratio that reflects years of density approvals around the station precinct.
Rental yield for houses is approximately 3.09% with a median weekly house rent of $650. The median unit price is approximately $630,000.
Ringwood’s house market is active at 25 days on market. The buyers I see most consistently are families upgrading from Croydon, Heathmont, and Bayswater they understand the suburb, they’ve been watching it, and they’re arriving with school access as their first requirement. Aquinas, Yarra Valley Grammar, and Tintern are the schools they name.
The unit market is the other story. 324 unit sales versus 153 house sales is an unusual ratio it reflects years of density approvals around the station precinct. Young professionals and first-home buyers are active in this segment, attracted by EastLink access and the fact that Ringwood’s retail and recreation infrastructure is on the doorstep.
The price gap relative to Mitcham ($1.2M median), Nunawading ($1.15M), and Doncaster East ($1.4M) brings buyers across from those markets who want outer-eastern connectivity at a lower entry point.
Eastland and the civic heart. A Metropolitan Activity Centre.
Metropolitan Activity Centre classification means the state government plans for Ringwood to absorb growth that would otherwise go to the CBD. The infrastructure reflects that intent.
131,000 m² retail engine and the institutions beside it
The current Eastland is the result of a 2013–2016 redevelopment that added IKEA, Costco, a Hoyts cinema complex, and Eastland Town Square an outdoor restaurant and bar precinct. First opened in 1967 by the Ringwood City Council following a legal battle over compulsory land acquisition, Eastland is now one of the largest regional shopping centres in Melbourne’s east.
Adjacent to Eastland is Realm, a purpose-built community library and innovation hub opened in 2017. The six-storey building houses the Maroondah City Council library, co-working areas, community meeting spaces, and civic facilities. It is the anchor of the revitalised Ringwood town centre and cements the precinct as a genuine CBD for the outer-eastern suburbs.
How Eastland came to exist
In 1959, the Ringwood City Council set aside land for a civic centre and shopping area. This triggered court proceedings a developer challenged the compulsory acquisition. The council’s decision eventually prevailed, Eastland broke ground in 1966, and opened in 1967, the same year Cadbury moved in.
The 2013–2016 redevelopment cost $665 million and added the Town Square precinct an outdoor dining and hospitality area that effectively gave Ringwood a functioning evening economy for the first time. Aquanation opened opposite the station at the same time.
Realm and Aquanation
Realm opened in 2017 as part of the broader town centre revitalisation. It is among the most architecturally ambitious public library buildings constructed in Victoria in the past decade six storeys, purpose-built, and co-located with council civic functions.
Aquanation is directly opposite Ringwood Station. It houses the State Diving Centre used for competition-level events, alongside indoor and outdoor pools, water slides, a gym, and spa. It is managed by the City of Maroondah and is the primary aquatic facility for the entire eastern corridor.
Ringwood’s parks and recreation.
Beyond the retail and transport infrastructure, Ringwood maintains significant parklands, a regional aquatic facility, and trail networks connecting the suburb to the broader eastern corridor.
- Ringwood Lake Park (8.5 ha) lake with pedestrian bridge, sound shell, mining history display, playground, and bushland walking circuit. Established 1926.
- Jubilee Park community sporting reserve with cricket nets and open space, part of the connected green corridor.
- Ringwood Clock Tower 1928 war memorial and focal point for ANZAC Day services. The one fixed reference point across a century of change.
- Mullum Mullum Creek Trail creek running through Ringwood linking to a continuous trail network extending from the Dandenong Ranges to the Yarra River.
- Directly opposite Ringwood Station
- Indoor and outdoor pools open year-round
- State Diving Centre used for competition-level events
- Water slides, spa, and leisure pools
- Gym and fitness studios
- Managed by the City of Maroondah
- Primary aquatic facility for the entire eastern corridor
Ringwood’s school precinct. The private school draw.
The presence of Aquinas, Yarra Valley Grammar, and Tintern within the suburb’s orbit is what brings buyers to a market where they get more house for less than the inner-east or mid-eastern suburbs like Box Hill and Doncaster.
Private secondary schools in Ringwood and immediate surrounds: Aquinas College (Catholic, boys, Year 7–12), Yarra Valley Grammar (co-educational independent, ELC–Year 12), and Tintern Girls Grammar (independent, ELC–Year 12, Ringwood North).
Government secondary: Ringwood Secondary College (co-ed, Years 7–12), well-regarded for performing arts and engineering programs. Government primary schools include Ringwood Primary School, Ringwood Heights Primary, and Heathmont Primary.
Always verify current catchment boundaries for a specific property address at findmyschool.vic.gov.au boundaries can be updated annually.
Aquinas College
Catholic independent school for boys, Year 7–12, in Ringwood. One of the primary school drivers behind buyer decisions in the suburb. Consistently draws families from Croydon, Heathmont, and Bayswater specifically for school access.
Boys Year 7–12 CatholicYarra Valley Grammar
Co-educational independent school from ELC to Year 12, in Ringwood. A significant private school draw for the suburb’s broader property market. One of the outer east’s most prominent independent schools.
Co-ed ELC–12 IndependentTintern Girls Grammar
Independent girls’ school from ELC to Year 12 in Ringwood North, giving Ringwood comparable school attraction to higher-priced inner-eastern suburbs. One of three private schools families name when explaining their purchase decision.
Girls ELC–12 IndependentRingwood Secondary College
The designated zone school for Ringwood (co-ed, Years 7–12), well-regarded in the government sector for performing arts and engineering programs. Serves as the anchor government secondary for postcode 3134.
Co-ed Years 7–12 GovernmentRingwood Primary School
Well-placed for families in the station precinct and surrounding streets. One of several government primary schools serving the suburb alongside Ringwood Heights Primary and Heathmont Primary.
Co-ed Prep–6 GovernmentSt Joseph’s School
Catholic primary school serving the Ringwood community. Part of a primary school cluster that also includes Heathmont Primary and Ringwood Heights Primary for families in the broader postcode 3134 area.
Co-ed Primary CatholicGetting around. And where Ringwood sits.
- Ringwood Station Belgrave and Lilydale lines, direct to Flinders Street approximately 40–45 minutes. Major bus interchange for Healesville, Croydon, Boronia, and the Yarra Valley.
- Heathmont Station Belgrave line, 1.5 km east. Serves the eastern section of the suburb.
- EastLink (M3) opened 2008. Connects Ringwood directly to the Eastern Freeway (CBD direction) and the Monash Freeway (south).
- Maroondah Highway east-west arterial running through the suburb, linking Mitcham to the west and Croydon to the east.
- North: Bordering Ringwood North and Warrandyte South
- West: Bordering Mitcham and Heathmont
- East: Bordering Croydon South and Warranwood
- South: Bordering Heathmont and Bayswater North
- Local government: City of Maroondah entirely
- 25 km east of Melbourne CBD, outer eastern corridor
- Adjacent to Ringwood Lake Park and Mullum Mullum Creek Trail
What Ringwood doesn’t advertise about itself.
A suburb that declared itself a city in 1960 and has been building towards that claim ever since.
Cadbury has made chocolate in Ringwood since 1967
When Cadbury acquired MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967, it took over the Ringwood factory. The factory has run continuously for nearly 60 years, making it one of the longest-operating food manufacturing sites in Melbourne’s east. It opened the same year as Eastland.
Ringwood was formally declared a city on 19 March 1960
Ringwood is one of the few places in Melbourne’s east to have ever been formally declared a city. The council’s subsequent decision to acquire land for Eastland followed directly from the ambition to build infrastructure worthy of that status and triggered a legal battle to do so.
Eastland was born from a court fight over compulsory land acquisition
In 1959, the Council set aside land for a civic centre and shopping area. A developer challenged the compulsory acquisition in court. The council prevailed, Eastland broke ground in 1966, and opened in 1967. Without that fight, there would be no Eastland precinct.
Ringwood Lake sits on what was once a brickworks
Ringwood Lake Park’s reserve includes a mining history display reflecting the area’s early industrial character. Brickmaking was one of Ringwood’s first industries the lake reserve, established in 1926, was created on a former brickworks site.
Mullum Mullum Creek connects Ringwood to the Yarra River
Mullum Mullum Creek runs through and alongside Ringwood, linking the suburb’s recreational reserves to a continuous trail network that extends from the Dandenong Ranges to the Yarra River making Ringwood a practical starting or passing point for one of Melbourne’s longest continuous trail corridors.
Aquinas, Yarra Valley Grammar, and Tintern bring buyers who drive past cheaper suburbs to get here
These are schools families have historically driven past Mitcham and Nunawading to access from more expensive suburbs. The observation that Ringwood delivers comparable proximity at a lower entry point than those inner-eastern markets has been driving sustained buyer attention for years.
Ringwood grew 9.6% between the 2016 and 2021 Census
That growth rate is faster than most of Melbourne’s established outer-eastern suburbs over the same period. It directly reflects medium-density development around the station precinct supported by the Metropolitan Activity Centre designation and points to continued growth approved in planning.
The clock tower is nearly 100 years old and has never moved
The Ringwood clock tower was built in 1928 as a war memorial. Everything around it has been demolished, rebuilt, and redeveloped multiple times since. It remains the only fixed reference point in a century of change and continues to serve as the focal point of ANZAC Day services.
324 unit sales versus 153 house sales in 12 months
Ringwood’s unit market is proportionally larger than any comparable suburb in this corridor. The ratio reflects years of approved medium-density development around the station precinct and means first-home buyers and investors have an unusually deep pool of stock to choose from relative to house buyers.
Ringwood Station is one of the largest bus interchanges in Melbourne’s east
Beyond rail, Ringwood functions as the main bus hub for the Maroondah corridor. Buses to Healesville, Lilydale, Croydon, Boronia, and the Yarra Valley all depart from or near the station making it the genuine centre of outer-eastern public transport in a way that its median house price doesn’t immediately suggest.
Ringwood from orchard village to metropolitan centre.
A suburb that went from farmland to declared city in a hundred years, and then kept building.
First land sales
Land sold from the 1850s, used primarily for grazing, fruit growing, and brickmaking. The post office opens in 1875.
Railway arrives
The Hawthorn to Lilydale railway is constructed through Ringwood, transforming it from a farming settlement into a commuter village almost immediately.
Ringwood Lake reserve
Ringwood Lake reserve is established on what was once a brickworks site, becoming the suburb’s central recreational space and a landmark for the community.
Clock tower built
The Ringwood clock tower is built as a war memorial and the focal point of ANZAC Day services, a position it still holds nearly 100 years later.
Ringwood declared a city
Ringwood is formally declared a city on 19 March 1960. The council sets aside land for a civic centre and shopping precinct triggering the legal fight that would produce Eastland.
Eastland opens. Cadbury arrives.
Eastland Shopping Centre opens after a protracted legal battle over land acquisition. Cadbury acquires MacRobertson Chocolates and takes over the Ringwood factory in the same year.
EastLink opens
EastLink (M3) connects Ringwood directly to the Eastern and Monash Freeways, fundamentally changing the suburb’s regional accessibility and reinforcing its role as an outer-eastern hub.
The $665M redevelopment
Eastland completes a $665 million redevelopment adding IKEA, Costco, Town Square, and Hoyts. Aquanation opens opposite the station. Realm community library opens. The town centre transformation is complete.
Infrastructure, not just proximity to the CBD.
Most outer-eastern suburbs have a station and a Coles. Ringwood has a state diving centre, a six-storey library, 131,000 m² of retail, and a chocolate factory.
State-designated growth hub
The Metropolitan Activity Centre designation means the state government actively plans for Ringwood to absorb growth, density, and employment that would otherwise go to the CBD. It is one of only a handful of outer-suburban centres with this classification in Melbourne’s east.
Cadbury chocolate factory
Cadbury has operated continuously in Ringwood for nearly 60 years following the acquisition of MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967. The factory is one of the longest-running food manufacturing sites in Melbourne’s outer east a piece of industrial history most residents quietly take for granted.
Aquanation State Diving Centre
Aquanation houses the State Diving Centre used for state-level competition infrastructure well beyond what most suburbs twice Ringwood’s size possess. It sits directly opposite the station, meaning access without a car is unremarkable.
Realm a genuinely civic building
Six storeys, purpose-built, co-designed with community input. Realm is architecturally one of the most ambitious public library buildings opened in Victoria in the past decade. It is not a town hall with books in, it is a civic institution in the full sense of the term.
The clock tower that outlasted everything
Built as a war memorial in 1928 and still the focal point of ANZAC Day services, the Ringwood clock tower has watched a supermarket, a shopping centre, a cinema complex, a library, and an aquatic centre all be built and rebuilt around it. It is the suburb’s only fixed point across a century of change.
Aquinas, Yarra Valley Grammar, Tintern
Three private secondary schools within the suburb’s orbit a concentration that gives Ringwood comparable private school access to significantly more expensive inner-eastern suburbs, at a median house price of $1,000,000. That gap is what drives buyers past Mitcham and Nunawading to get here.
Everything people ask about Ringwood.
The median house price in Ringwood, VIC 3134 was $1,000,000 for the June 2025 quarter (REIV via Fletchers). CoreLogic records the rolling 12-month median at $1,058,800 with 2.00% annual growth and 153 house sales. Houses average 25 days on market. The median unit price is approximately $630,000. Rental yield for houses is approximately 3.09%, with median weekly rent of $650.
Ringwood is 25 km east of Melbourne CBD.
Ringwood Station on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines provides direct access to Flinders Street in approximately 40–45 minutes. Ringwood is a major rail interchange serving buses to the Yarra Valley, Healesville, and Croydon. EastLink (M3) connects Ringwood to the Eastern Freeway (north) and the Monash Freeway (south).
Eastland is a 131,000 square metre retail and hospitality centre at Ringwood, first opened in 1967 and most recently redeveloped in two stages completing in 2015–2016.
The current centre includes IKEA, Costco, a Hoyts cinema complex, Eastland Town Square (outdoor restaurant and bar precinct), and over 300 stores. It is one of the largest regional shopping centres in Melbourne’s east and is directly accessible from Ringwood Station.
Private secondary schools in and immediately adjacent to Ringwood include Aquinas College (Catholic, boys, Year 7–12), Yarra Valley Grammar (co-educational independent, ELC–Year 12), and Tintern Girls Grammar (independent, ELC–Year 12, Ringwood North).
Government secondary: Ringwood Secondary College (co-ed, Years 7–12). Government primary schools include Ringwood Primary School, Ringwood Heights Primary, and Heathmont Primary. Catholic primary: St Joseph’s School.
Always verify current catchment boundaries for a specific property address at findmyschool.vic.gov.au boundaries can be updated annually.
Aquanation is a regional aquatic and leisure centre directly opposite Ringwood Station. It features indoor and outdoor pools, the State Diving Centre (used for state-level competition), water slides, a gym, fitness studios, and spa.
It is managed by the City of Maroondah and is the primary aquatic facility for the eastern corridor. Access directly from the station on foot takes under five minutes.
Yes. Ringwood has been the site of a Cadbury chocolate factory since Cadbury acquired MacRobertson Chocolates in 1967. The factory has operated continuously for nearly 60 years, making it one of the longest-running food manufacturing sites in Melbourne’s outer east.
Realm is a purpose-built community library and innovation hub opened in 2017, adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre. It is a six-storey building housing the Maroondah City Council library, co-working areas, community meeting spaces, and civic facilities one of the most architecturally ambitious public library buildings opened in Victoria in the past decade.
Ringwood has a median house price of $1,000,000 (REIV, June 2025) with direct rail to the CBD, EastLink freeway access, Eastland Shopping Centre, Aquanation, Realm, and access to three private secondary schools. As a designated Metropolitan Activity Centre, it supports continued growth and infrastructure investment from the state government.
The price gap relative to Mitcham ($1.2M), Ringwood North ($1.15M), and Heathmont ($1.1M) makes it an accessible entry point to comparable outer-eastern infrastructure. The auction clearance rate of 67.4% and 25 days on market indicate an active market. Contact Reilly Waterfield at Fletchers Maroondah on 0413 052 644 for a complimentary appraisal.
Ringwood’s median house price of $1,000,000 sits below Mitcham ($1,200,000), Ringwood North (approximately $1,150,000), and Heathmont (approximately $1,100,000). The suburb’s Metropolitan Activity Centre infrastructure Eastland, Aquanation, Realm, three private schools, and EastLink gives it a service-to-price ratio that most comparable outer-eastern suburbs cannot match.
The unit market (324 sales annually) is proportionally larger than any surrounding suburb, reflecting the density of the station precinct and providing a wider pool of entry-level stock for first-home buyers and investors.
Ringwood was formally declared a city on 19 March 1960, making it one of the few places in Melbourne’s east to have held that designation. It was the only city in Melbourne’s east for a decade.
The declaration was followed by the council’s decision to acquire land for a civic centre and major shopping precinct a decision that was challenged in court, eventually prevailed, and produced Eastland in 1967. The city status directly shaped the infrastructure Ringwood has today.
Ringwood and surrounds.
Ringwood sits at the centre of Maroondah’s eastern corridor, adjacent to both the Yarra Valley and Melbourne’s outer east. Each surrounding suburb has its own market dynamics and price point.
Thinking of selling in Ringwood?
Reilly Waterfield Director & Auctioneer, Fletchers Maroondah. RateMyAgent Top 50 Agents Victoria, 1,559+ career sales. Complimentary appraisal, no obligation.
Data sources: REIV via Fletchers (median house $1,000,000, June 2025 quarter); CoreLogic ($1,058,800, 2.00% growth, 153 house sales, 324 unit sales, 25 days, 3.09% yield, 2026); ABS 2021 Census (population 19,144, 9.6% growth, demographics); Wikipedia, Victorian Places (historical data); Reilly Waterfield / Fletchers Maroondah (auction clearance rate 67.4%, sold results). Published May 2026 · fletcherslocal.au/suburb/ringwood