Kalinda Modified Urban Forest
Marica Court,
Ringwood.
There is also an entrance from Holyrood Crescent and two other surrounding streets.
Melway: Map 50 C.1.
The entrance from Marica court.
The Kalinda Modified Urban Forest is a plantation forest with the first trees planted in July 1988. The planting was a joint project by the Friends of Kalinda and the City of Ringwood. A plaque attached to a boulder near the picnic shelter commemorates the first planting.
The commemorative plaque.
The plantation trees, mainly gums, follow the perimeter of the quite large park with a wide asphalt path meandering among the trees. This makes it very suitable for wheel chairs, with only one steep section at the Marica Court entrance. Any of the other entrances would provide easier access.
Communicating - with nature?
The centre of the area is open grass and is an off-lead dog area. Apart from the road entrances the area is fenced, which would stop any disobedient dogs from escaping. On the edge of the grassed area is a sheltered picnic table. Apart from several park benches that is the only facility available.
The picnic shelter with open space beyond.
Like all parks with trees it attracts birdlife. I came upon a group of corellas ground feeding, but upon my approach they decamped to a nearby tree, which allowed some nice photos to be captured.
One of the ground feeding corellas.
It's safe up here.
Noisy miners, magpies and a fleeting glimpse of several parrots were the other avian sightings on my visit.
A ground feeding noisy miner
My only other encounter was two men and a dog, understandable since it was a weekday winter walk.
The two men and the dog.
The forest is situated in a very quiet suburban area, with the exception of lunch time at the adjacent school when the distant sound of hundreds of playful children filled the air.
Off the path.
The forest would be very child friendly as children always like to run ahead, but because of the openness of the area they will never be out of your sight.
The path through the forest.
If you stay on the paths you will always be among the trees, which would be very nice on hot day. While the reserve is called a forest you do not get the feeling you are walking through a forest, just a leisurely stroll among the gum trees.
