Eastland Shopping Centre
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| Location | Ringwood, Victoria, Australia |
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| Coordinates | 37°48′47″S 145°13′45″E / 37.81306°S 145.22917°E |
| Address | 175 Maroondah Highway |
| Opening date | 31 October 1967 |
| Developer | Queensland Investment Corporation |
| Owner | Queensland Investment Corporation |
| No. of stores and services | 347[1] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 |
| Total retail floor area | 173,440 m2 (1,866,900 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Parking | 5300 |
| Public transit access | Ringwood railway station |
| Website | eastland |
Eastland Shopping Centre is a super-regional shopping centre complex located in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Ringwood, Victoria, Australia. The fourth-largest shopping centre in Australia, it first opened on 31 October 1967 and has since grown to host over 340 retail stores and services.[1]
It is adjacent to Maroondah Highway, Ringwood railway station and a major bus interchange. The centre features two main levels of shops, with a third level containing a Hoyts 12-screen cinema complex and restaurants, forming a total of approximately 530 stores. Eastland also contains a library, 120 room hotel and large outdoor dining precinct called Ringwood Town Square. It is the largest shopping centre in the City of Maroondah and is located in relatively close proximity to Westfield Doncaster and Westfield Knox. It is also set for a new office tower, finishing in 2025.
History[edit]
Inception[edit]
Eastland was one of three large shopping centres planned by the department store Myer in Melbourne in the 1960s. Together with Northland in Preston and Southland in Cheltenham, these were the first indoor shopping centres in Victoria.[2]
Construction[edit]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2023) |
Construction commenced on the two-level enclosed complex in July 1966, with a Myer and Safeway as major anchors, and 40 speciality stores and a 1200 space car park.[3] The initial centre cost $13,000,000 (1966) ($167,568,115.94 (2017)) to construct, on a 5.67-hectare (14.0-acre) parcel of land just north of the Maroondah Highway in the heart of Ringwood.
Redevelopment (1993)[edit]
In 1993, a massive redevelopment of the centre was announced, which involved the demolition of the existing centre in its entirety except for the 4-storey Myer building (which was simply refurbished), and after a series of three staged openings culminated in the relaunch of a new look Eastland in May 1995. This extension brought the centre to 53,300 m2 (574,000 sq ft) with major retailers Myer, Woolworths and Kmart and 170 specialty retailers.
In December 1996, the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) purchased Coles Myer's 50% shareholding.[4]
First expansion (2002)[edit]
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In early 2001, after years of rumours and consumer desire for cinemas in Ringwood, QIC announced plans for a stage 4 expansion. Key to this expansion was a Hoyts 12 screen cinema complex (down from the originally planned 14), a few restaurants (including a Pancake Parlour), a Big W store, and a 2nd major supermarket, which at the time was scheduled to be a Bi-Lo Mega Fresh store (but only a regular Bi-Lo store was built), and an additional 50 specialty stores, increasing the centre's retail size by approximately 25,000 m2 (270,000 sq ft).
Big W and Bi-Lo opened in late October 2002, along with a handful of the 50 specialty stores. The cinemas opened on 26 December 2002.
Second expansion (2013-2016)[edit]
Plans for further expansion of the centre were created in the mid-2000s. Development was originally scheduled to commence in 2009 but this was delayed due to the Global Financial Crisis. Enabling works commenced in 2012 allowing for changes to be made to the Eastern Multilevel carpark; the entry ramp to the third level of the carpark was moved, and the Kmart Tyre & Auto Service centre was relocated to the North-Western carpark.[5][6]
QIC publicly unveiled the plans on 28 October 2013. The $665 million redevelopment expanded retail space from from 80,000 to 113,000 m2 (860,000 to 1,220,000 sq ft) and included construction of an additional three storeys connecting the southern end of the centre with the Maroondah Highway. This included a new entrance to the third level of Myer, an outdoor public square with food and beverage outlets and a new public library. Office and hotel towers were also proposed adjacent to the new precinct together with a Target and David Jones department stores.[7][8][9]
The first stage of the redevelopment opened almost two years later in October 2015 with the second on 5 May 2016.[8][10]
Future development[edit]
The adjacent Ringwood Market site, built in 1984,[11] is also owned by the same company that controls Eastland. It was demolished in 2009 to make way for a new retail/commercial development. The 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) space was planned to be occupied by one of Costco, IKEA and Masters Home Improvement shops. Since then, Melbourne's second Costco Australia store was confirmed with construction commencing in August 2012. The 14,500-square-metre (156,000 sq ft) store was opened on 20 November 2013,[12] although a planned underground connection to Eastland was not built.[13]
A second office tower on Bond Street is under construction and scheduled to open in 2024.[14]
Retail[edit]
Major retailers include Myer, H&M, Uniqlo, Target, Kmart, Big W, Harris Scarfe, Cotton On, Woolworths, Coles, Rebel Sport and JB Hi-Fi.
Legacy and significance[edit]
Eastland was the first indoor shopping centre to be built in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.[2]
The band AC/DC performed at Eastland in September 1975 as part of their High Voltage tour of Australia.[15]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Directory". Eastland. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Shopping centres". eMelbourne. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Schenk, Emma (20 October 2015). "The new $665m Eastland a far cry from humble origins where Myer, Safeway were anchor tenants". Maroondah Leader. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ Coles in $560m centre sell-off Australian Financial Review 24 December 1996
- ^ "Construction Works starting at Eastland". Ringwood Going Places. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "Eastland renovation on track". Maroondah Leader. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "DJs welcomes new future". ragtrader. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ a b Morris, Ali (14 November 2016). "Community is at the heart of Melbourne's transformed Eastland shopping centre". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Eastland Shopping Centre to have $575m makeover as David Jones moves in". News.com.au. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ González, María Francisca (4 May 2018). "Eastland Town Centre / acme". ArchDaily. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Photograph, Road and carpark construction works for Ringwood Market and Target Square shopping centres, viewed towards Charter and Seymour Streets from Bond Street, Ringwood - 1984". Victorian Collections. Ringwood and District Historical Society. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Story fngnvlxu 1226764225719 | Herald Sun".
- ^ "Ringwood Central Activity District Stage 2 Parking Strategy" (PDF). Maroondah City Council. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Pallisco, Marc (20 March 2023). "All-electric office coming to Eastland". realestatesource. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Early Sep. 1975 : Ringwood, VIC Australia (Eastlands Shopping Centre)". AC/DC Tour History. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
External links[edit]
