Ringwood brings together a range of interests: the history of the town and its surroundings, a visual arts program, and play facilities at Ringwood Lake Park. The Ringwood & District Historical Society is dedicated to the area’s heritage and history. The Maroondah Federation Estate focuses on community, culture and art, while the playground at Lake Park offers several areas for play. Which of these is most relevant to your stay depends on whether you are more interested in local history, art or the specific facilities at a park.

Ringwood’s History and Heritage

The Ringwood & District Historical Society preserves and shares the heritage and history of Ringwood and its surroundings. Its activities include research, caring for historical records and artefacts, and publishing materials and running lecture programs. In this way, work with historical materials goes hand in hand with sharing knowledge about the town and its surrounding area.

This is a different focus from looking at a particular art form or institution: the emphasis is on historical records and artefacts, as well as researching and sharing local history. If you are mainly interested in Ringwood’s development and that of its surroundings when planning your trip, this offers a relevant point of interest. Publications and lecture programs are specifically among the ways the society shares its work.

Art and Culture at Maroondah Federation Estate

Maroondah Federation Estate is a community, cultural and arts facility at 32 Greenwood Avenue in Ringwood. It is located on the site of the former Ringwood Primary School. The Estate comprises a Cultural Centre, a Lifestyle Centre and the Maroondah Access Gallery. Its address and former use describe two different aspects of the place: Greenwood Avenue identifies its location, while the former school site reflects its history.

For a clearer sense of its focus, it is useful to distinguish the Estate as a whole from its Gallery. The Estate comprises the three areas mentioned above; the Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery is part of the Ringwood Arts Precinct, and its program is dedicated to contemporary and traditional visual art. Alongside the Estate’s community and cultural profile, specific art forms are therefore another focus to explore.

The gallery program includes painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, drawing, photography, video, design, jewellery and installations. Performance and multimedia artworks are also possible. The range extends from painting and photography to video, design and installation, with potential performance and multimedia works adding to the mix. If you are interested in a particular art form, check the current program before planning a specific exhibition visit, as individual exhibitions may change.

Play Facilities at Ringwood Lake Park

The playground at Ringwood Lake Park features play trails through the existing trees. There are opportunities to play in the tree canopy, beneath the canopy walkway and on the forest floor. A creek play area with water and sand adds to these facilities. The description thus highlights several areas and levels rather than just one play feature.

The public toilets at Ringwood Lake Park are also useful to know about: they include a Changing Places bathroom. If this facility is important to your plans, check its current status before your trip. This way, you can take both the play areas and the park facilities relevant to you into account when planning, without conflating them with the cultural offerings at Maroondah Federation Estate.

Discover more destinations: Winchelsea, Red Hill, Wedderburn, Bellbrae, Dalyston, Gapsted, Apollo Bay, Myrrhee.

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.