Ringwood for history, art and play

Ringwood offers distinct themes to help you plan your trip: regional history, art, and a playground at Ringwood Lake Park. If you’re considering Ringwood as a destination for a hotel stay, these themes can help you decide what to focus on during your trip. The Ringwood & District Historical Society is dedicated to the heritage of the town and its surroundings; Maroondah Federation Estate is a community, cultural and arts facility. The playground offers a different focus, with play trails through trees and opportunities to play with water and sand.

The history of Ringwood and its surroundings

The Ringwood & District Historical Society preserves and shares the heritage and history of Ringwood and its surroundings. Its activities include research, the care of historical records and artefacts, as well as publications and lecture programs. Research and care relate to the historical material; publications and lecture programs are also ways of sharing it. This means the subject covers both Ringwood and its surroundings. If you’re interested in local history, this focus presents the area from a historical perspective and complements its arts and leisure offerings with a distinct point of interest.

Play at Ringwood Lake Park

Ringwood Lake Park has a playground with play trails through the existing trees. Play opportunities extend from the treetops to the area below the canopy trail and down to the forest floor. There is also a creek area for playing with water and sand. Water, sand and the different levels among the trees give the playground a clear focus on nature and water play. The park is in Ringwood, on Maroondah Highway. The park’s public toilets include a Changing Places bathroom. If this facility is important to your plans, check its condition before your visit.

Culture and art in Ringwood

Maroondah Federation Estate is located at 32 Greenwood Avenue in Ringwood, on the grounds of the former Ringwood Primary School. As a community, cultural and arts facility, it includes a Cultural Centre, a Lifestyle Centre and the Maroondah Access Gallery. The Estate is therefore a place with three named components; the former school gives the site a clear historical connection. When finding your way around, it’s useful to distinguish between the Estate as a whole and its individual facilities, especially if you’re weighing up a cultural or arts focus for your stay.

The Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery program features contemporary and traditional visual arts. The forms listed include painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, drawing, photography, video, design, jewellery and installations. Performance and multimedia artworks may also be part of the program. The combination of traditional and contemporary art keeps a variety of artistic approaches in view. If you’re including art in your Ringwood plans, this program offers a distinct focus, different from the Society’s historical work and the play facilities at Lake Park. If you’re planning to visit a particular exhibition, check its current dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Nunawading, Bass, Rye, Willaura, Tarwin Lower, Seaford, Loch Sport, Lalbert

For the broader travel overview: Victoria.