Ringwood Historical Society

Subdivisions of land around Ringwood commenced with the first sales by the Crown in the 1850s often of parcels of 640 acres which sold at one pound per acre.

Later more intensive subdivisions took place from the 1920s, with speculative development capitalising on the prospects of growth in the district following the electrification of the railway in 1923.

Buyers were enticed out to the land sales with free rail tickets, car transport to the land and with bands playing to create a carnival atmosphere.

Much of that newly subdivided land remained vacant - and largely unsaleable - for almost twenty years following the Depression of the late 1920s to early 1930s and because of severe curtaillment of residential building during the Second World War.

It was only in the year following the end of the War that demand escalated sharply for vacant land and the old orchards of Ringwood again succumbed to subdivision.
As Melbourne grew outwards, Ringwood simply became suburb.

Early subdivisions did not offer made roads, or reticulated water, sewerage and gas. These only became common in the 1960s to 1970s.

The last orchards in Ringwood fell to residential subdivisions in the mid 1990s.