Elsternwick is an inner suburb in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

, located within the

City of Glen Eira The City of Glen Eira is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of and has an estimated population of 153,858 (51.6% female and 48.4% male). It was formed in 1994 ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

. Elsternwick recorded a population of 10,887 at the 2021 census.

Administrative division

In terms of its cadastral division, Elsternwick is in the parish of Prahran within the County of Bourke.

Location

Elsternwick is bounded by the

Nepean Highway Nepean Highway runs south from St Kilda Junction in Victoria, Australia to Portsea, close to the eastern shore of Port Phillip. It is the primary road route to central Melbourne from Melbourne's southern suburbs. History Originally known as A ...

, Elster Avenue, Kooyong Road, Glen Eira Road, and Hotham Street (the continuation of Williams Road). Formerly Elsternwick covered the area located in the

City of Bayside The City of Bayside is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It is within the southern suburbs of Melbourne. It has an area of 36 square kilometres and in 2018 had a population of 105,718 people. History City of Brighton In 1858, ...

bounded by Head/Bridge Street, Nepean Highway, Glen Huntly Road and St. Kilda Street. This includes the cricket ground (originally the home of the Elsternwick Cricket Club) and currently known as the Sportscover Arena. It is located within the larger area known as Elsternwick Park – located at the junction of the Nepean Highway and

Glen Huntly Road Glen Huntly Road is a main road in Melbourne, Victoria. It starts at Beach Road, Elwood, runs east–west through Elsternwick, Caulfield, Glen Huntly and ends in Carnegie. Glen Huntly Road was named after the emigrant ship ''Glen Huntley' ...

– as is the former Elsternwick Park Golf Course.

Name

In the same way that

Ripponlea Ripponlea is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. Ripponlea recorded a population of 1,532 at the 202 ...

took its name from the

Rippon Lea Estate Rippon Lea Estate is a heritage-listed historic house and gardens located in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is in the care of the National Trust of Australia. It was added to the Australian National Heritage List on 11 August ...

of Sir Frederick Sargood, Elsternwick took its name from the largest property in the district:

Charles Ebden Charles Hotson Ebden (1811 – 28 October 1867) was an Australian pastoralist and politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Victorian Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Early life Ebden ...

's house ''Elster'' (''Elster'' is German for ""). The area was previously known as Red Bluff. The creek nearby became known as the Elster Creek; and, when a village grew up on the creek, the Anglo-Saxon suffix 'wick', meaning village, was added.

History

The Elsternwick village was proposed in 185

Elsternwick was originally situated across three municipalities - Caulfield, Brighton and St Kilda. At the end of the 1880s unsuccessful attempts were made for Elsternwick to become administratively independent. Today it is in the Local Government Areas of Victoria, Local Government Area of the

. The

postcode A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, includ ...

is 3185. Elsternwick village was surveyed in 1856, and Elsternwick Post Office opened on 22 June 1860. In 1861 a

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

, operated by the Melbourne & Hobson's Bay Railway Company, was built from

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

which included a railway station at Elsternwick. The first site of

Caulfield Grammar School Caulfield Grammar School is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, International Baccalaureate, day school, day and boarding school, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1881 as ...

, founded in 1881, was adjacent to the Elsternwick railway station. In the 1880s, Elsternwick railway station was also the Melbourne end of the railway line to the large-scale sugar beet processing mill at Rosstown (see

Rosstown Railway The Rosstown Railway was a private railway in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, running between the current railway stations of Elsternwick railway station, Elsternwick, on the Sandringham railway line, Sandringham line, and Oa ...

) – now known as Carnegie – and beyond. This railway was seldom used, and it ceased to function in 1916. A tramline was opened along Glen Huntly Road in 1889. Another tramline, running between Elsternwick and

Point Ormond Elwood is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government areas of Victoria, ...

, was opened on 4 June 1915, and was closed on 22 October 1960. The ABC studios in Melbourne were located in Gordon Street. The studios were built during the 1950s and 1960s and were decommissioned in 2017. Many programs were filmed and produced in the studios, such as

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

, Recovery and

Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight ''Adam Hills Tonight'', formerly known as ''Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight'', is a comedic Australian television interview show that ran from February 2011 to July 2013 on ABC1. It was hosted by comedian Adam Hills and co-starred Hannah Gads ...

Today

Shopping strip of Glenhuntly Road in Elsternwick

in Elsternwick has a variety of cafés and restaurants. Elsternwick was the home of perhaps the best-known brothel in Australia, and certainly Melbourne;

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...

, which was the first in the world to be listed on a stock exchange (the

Australian Securities Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as ...

). Hattam (Mens and Boys Wear) Stores, at 383 Glenhuntly Road, a long, narrow shop, is one of the last locations in Australia that still has a Lamson "Rapid Wire" Cash Carrier in place; it connects three locations in the lower section of the shop with the central cashier's desk. The 2017 season of '' The Block'' was filmed in Regent Street.

Population

Elsternwick Congregational Church, exterior (2)

In the 2016 Census, there were 10,349 people in Elsternwick. 65.3% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 3.9%, New Zealand 1.9%, India 1.7%, South Africa 1.7% and China 1.5%. 73.0% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Greek 2.6%, Hebrew 2.0%, Russian 1.9%, Yiddish 1.8% and Mandarin 1.7%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 35.5%, Catholic 18.0%, and Judaism 17.8%.

Transport

Elsternwick railway station on the

Sandringham railway line The Sandringham railway line is a suburban railway line in Melbourne, Australia. It branches from other southeastern suburban rail lines (inferred as the " Caulfield group") at South Yarra station. It serves the City of Bayside, and small se ...

is located on Riddell Parade next to Glen Huntly Road. For a number of years (in the late 1800s and early 1900s) it was also where the

linked up with the Sandringham railway line.

Melbourne tram route 67 Melbourne tram route 67 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network from Melbourne University to Carnegie. The 12.7 kilometre route is operated out of Glenhuntly depot with Z and B class trams. History Route 67 was first alloc ...

links Elsternwick to the

Melbourne city centre The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...

. It travels along

from Carnegie, through

Glen Huntly Glen Huntly is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District,Caulfield South Caulfield South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government area. Caulfield South recorded a population of 12,328 at the ...

to Elsternwick and, then, via Brighton Road and

St Kilda Road St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004, and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city. St Kilda Road begins at Flinders Street, i ...

to the CBD, via

Swanston Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is one of the main streets of the Melbourne central business district and was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street vertical ...

. It terminates at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb ...

Sport

The Elsternwick Club Sandham St est 1919 includes Lawn Bowls on Tiff Dwarf green and various function rooms. The Elsternwick Cricket Club was founded in August 1901. The Elsternwick Main Oval, now known as Sportscover Arena or Elsternwick Park, was established shortly after the club's foundation. The 'Wickas', as the club is affectionately known, plays in the

Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association The Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association (VSDCA) is a turf cricket competition based in Melbourne, Australia. There are 32 clubs each fielding four teams (one per grade) plus an under 15 (formerly under 14) team in the annual J.G Craig (fo ...

. Golfers played at Elsternwick Park Golf Club, also known as Royal Elsternwick, on Glen Huntly Road until 2018, when the course closed to be used as passive open space. The Elsternwick Croquet Club, founded in 1911, is situated in the Hopetoun Gardens.

Schools

State Schools

The Elsternwick Primary School – once officially located in "Brickwood Street, Elsternwick" – is now, without any shift in its physical position, officially located in Murphy Street,

; and, consequently, the suburb currently has no government schools.

Private Schools

* Wesley College, Melbourne, Wesley College - Elsternwick Campus (formerly: Methodist Ladies' College and Cato College) *

Leibler Yavneh College , motto_translation = Torah and Work , established = , type = Independent comprehensive co-educational primary and secondary Jewish day school , denomination = Jewish , religious_af ...

* St Joseph's Primary School

Heritage sites

Elsternwick contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 192 Hotham Street:

* 2-4 Selwyn Street: Elsternwick Metropolitan Fire Brigade Station * 84-86 Orrong Road: Union Church * 6-8 Rusden Street: Elsternwick Tram Substation * 296-298 Glenhuntly Road & 1A-1B Riddell Parade: Elsternwick Post Office

Notable Elsternwick people

* Hildred Butler (1906–1975), microbiologist, born in Elsternwick. * Joan Chambers, ''née'' Murray (1930–2016), Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, born in Elsternwick. * "Chris" Christiansen (1913–2007), radio astronomer and electrical engineer, grew up in Elsternwick. *

Ben Cousins Benjamin Luke Cousins (born 30 June 1978) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for and in the Australian Football League (AFL). Cousins is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan as one of the fifty greatest players of ...

(1978–), former AFL footballer. * Moira Dynon, ''née'' Shelton (1920–1976), welfare worker and scientist, born in Elsternwick. * Joyce Evans (1929–2019), photographer, artist, gallery director, born in Elsternwick. *

Ray Groom Raymond John Groom (born 3 September 1944) is an Australian lawyer and former sportsman and politician, representing the Liberal Party in the Federal Parliament 1975–84 and the Tasmanian Parliament 1986–2001. He was a Federal and state ...

(1944–), lawyer, sportsman, and politician, 39th

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the House of Assembly is invited by the governor of ...

, born in Elsternwick. * Joy St. Clair Hester (1920–1960), artist, born in Elsternwick. * Sir Edwin William Hicks (1910–1984), public servant and diplomat, born in Elsternwick. * Edward Honey (1885–1922), journalist, born in Elsternwick, suggested the " Two-minute silence" observed on 11 November each year. *

Dave Hughes David William Hughes (born 26 November 1970) is an Australian stand-up comedian, television and radio presenter. He is known for his larrikin personality, drawling Australian accent, and deadpan comedic delivery. Hughes co-hosts ''Hughesy, ...

(1970–), comedian; purchased a house built on '' The Block'' 2017. *

Les Johnson Leslie Royston Johnson AM (22 November 1924 – 26 May 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and held ministerial office in the Whitlam Government, serving as Minister for Housing (1972–19 ...

(1908–January 1942), Essendon and North Melbourne Footballer, killed in action in World War II, born in Elsternwick. *

William Joynt William Donovan Joynt, VC (19 March 1889 – 6 June 1986) was a printer, publisher, author and an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy given to British and Commonwealth ...

(1889–1986), soldier, printer and publisher, born in Elsternwick. * Geoffrey Lemprière (1904–1977), woolbuyer and soldier, born in Elsternwick. * Samuel Mauger (1857–1936), reformer, manufacturer, politician, died in Elsternwick. *

Keith Miller Keith Ross Miller (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004) was an Australian Test cricketer and a Royal Australian Air Force pilot during World War II. Miller is widely regarded as Australia's greatest ever all-rounder. His ability, irreverent m ...

(1919–2004), a resident of Elsternwick in his childhood. * Enid Moodie-Heddle (1904–1991), poet and children's author, born in Elsternwick. * Sir Alister Murdoch (1912–1984), air force officer, born in Elsternwick. * Harold Parker (1892–1917), St Kilda footballer, killed in First World War. *

Bill Ponsford William Harold Ponsford MBE (19 October 1900 – 6 April 1991) was an Australian cricketer. Usually playing as an opening batsman, he formed a successful and long-lived partnership opening the batting for Victoria and Australia with Bill ...

(1900–1991), a resident in the 1920s and 1930s. * Peter Rowsthorn (1963–), actor and comedian. * Roy Schilling (1896–1979), politician, died in Elsternwick. * Percival Serle (1871–1951), accountant, biographer, and bibliographer, born in Elsternwick. * George Strickland (1942–), Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, born in Elsternwick. * Frederick Taylor (1810–1872), squatter and mass murderer. * Richard Toutcher (1861–1941), politician, died in Elsternwick. * Sir Alexander George Wales (1885–1962), businessman, politician, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, died in Elsternwick. *

Charlie Watts Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an i ...

(1895–1965), soldier and cleric, born in Elsternwick. *

Harry Llewellyn Williams Harry Llewellyn Carlington Williams (12 July 1915 – 22 December 1961) was an Australian amateur golfer. He won the Australian Amateur in 1931 and 1937. Early life Williams was born on 12 July 1915 in Elsternwick, Melbourne, the son of Eric Ll ...

(1915–1961), champion golfer, born in Elsternwick.

Residential architecture

Image:Lisbon house elsternwick.jpg, "Lisbon House", 70 Orrong Road, is a grand Victorian terrace home. Image:Remodelled Victorian Terraces - Elsternwick.jpg, 1930s remodelled Victorian terraces, Glen Eira Road (opposite

) Image:Elsternwick new townhouses & apartment in Horne St.jpg, Elsternwick railway station warehouses converted to townhouses and apartment in Horne Street Image:Elsternwick Retirement Apartment - Victoria By The Park.jpg, Elsternwick Retirement Apartment (Victoria by the Park) next to Hopetoun Gardens

Non-residential architecture

Image:Elsternwick Hotel.jpg, The Elsternwick Hotel (built 1856), corner of

Glen Huntly Glen Huntly is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District,Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

Roads Image:Jewish holocaust museum elsternwick.jpg,

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

Museum, Selwyn Street Image:Elsternwick post office and caulfield city rifle club.jpg, Former Elsternwick Post Office and former Caulfield City rifle club buildings Image:Elsternwick Former Fire Station.jpg, Former Elsternwick Fire Station Image:Tudor Style Building - Elsternwick.jpg, Tudor style dominates Glen Eira shopping village (Corner of Glen Eira & Orrong Roads) in Elsternwick

Open space

Image:Elsternwick Park.jpg, Elsternwick Park Golf Club Image:Elsternwick Hopetoun Gardens.jpg, Elsternwick Hopetoun Gardens in

(cannons made in England 1866) Image:Nepean HWY - Elsternwick.jpg,

in Elsternwick (9 km towards

Melbourne CBD The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city l ...

)

References

External links

Glen Eira City Council

Elsternwick Traders' Association website
- includes a business directory, articles and attractions in Elsternwick {{City of Glen Eira suburbs Jews and Judaism in Melbourne Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the City of Glen Eira Orthodox Jewish communities 1856 establishments in Australia