HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Eltham () is a suburb of
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 me ...
, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-east of the
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 " cit ...
, located within the
Shire of Nillumbik The Shire of Nillumbik ( ) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at th2021 census the Shire had ...
local government area. Eltham recorded a population of 18,847 at the 2021 census. Eltham is one of the ' green wedge' areas that provide relatively undeveloped, accessible environments within the Melbourne suburban region. These green wedge areas are under constant pressure from developments such as road and freeway expansions, but Eltham has managed to retain many tree-lined streets and leafy reserves. However, the character of the suburb is changing rapidly, with increased road traffic and higher-density housing becoming more common. Eltham's tourist attractions include the artists colony Montsalvat and the Diamond Valley Railway, the largest
ridable miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petr ...
in Australia.


History

A reserve for a village at the junction of the Diamond Creek and
Yarra River The Yarra River or historically, the Yarra Yarra River, ( Kulin languages: ''Berrern'', ''Birr-arrung'', ''Bay-ray-rung'', ''Birarang'', ''Birrarung'', and ''Wongete'') is a perennial river in south-central Victoria, Australia. The lower ...
is shown on maps around 1848. By 1851 the first Crown allotments were being subdivided and sold, along with a private subdivision developed by J. M. Holloway, known as Little Eltham. At this time, the town's centre was located around the intersection of Pitt Street and Main Road. An early settler was Henry Dendy who operated a flour mill. Eltham Post Office opened on 1 February 1854. The first Eltham Cemetery Trust was appointed in February 1860. The Eltham Court House was built in 1860 and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Database. The Eltham Magistrates' Court closed on 1 February 1985. St Margaret's Church commenced construction in 1861 at 10 John St Eltham. The '' Evelyn Observer'' was a weekly newspaper published from 1873 to 1942. It had various titles over the years. Digitsed copies can be accessed for various dates via
Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...
. Other local newspapers have included Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate (1917-1922) and Eltham and Whittlesea Shire Advertiser (1940-1942) These papers can also be accessed via
Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...
. The Eltham Hotel was established in 1867 and continues to be in business. The arrival of the
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 ...
in 1902 drew business further north along Main Road to the current town centre. A war memorial in the form of an obelisk of granite was unveiled 3 August 1919 in what was then the centre of the township. In the 1960s it was relocated to the front of the Eltham RSL sub branch. It was moved again in 2010 in front of the Eltham War Memorial Building Complex. The Eltham War Memorial Building Complex recognises those who served and died in World War 2. The community complex originally featured an infant welfare centre, war memorial gates and a wrought iron arch, memorial garden, pre-school and children's library. Eltham Presbyterian Church opened in 1958. The Eltham Refugee Housing and Support Project was delivered in partnership with St Vincent's Health Australia and CatholicCare to provide accommodation and settlement support to newly arrived refugees from Syria and Iraq. From November 2016 to October 2018, refugees were provided with affordable accommodation in refurbished units on the site of St Vincent's Care Services Eltham Aged Care facility. During this time, CatholicCare provided tenancy and settlement support.
Leader Community Newspapers The Leader Community Newspaper group publishes 20 digital titles covering metropolitan Melbourne. The group was downsized in 2016 and in 2020. Prior to this, it published 33 weekly print titles which were delivered to over 1.4 million homes. In ea ...
published the ''Diamond Valley Leader'' which included Eltham in its reporting area for some years before it ceased publication in June 2020. The historic courthouse, the oldest building in the
Shire of Nillumbik The Shire of Nillumbik ( ) is a local government area in Victoria, Australia. It contains outer northern suburbs of Melbourne and rural localities beyond the urban area. It has an area of 432 square kilometres and at th2021 census the Shire had ...
was restored by Ducon Building Solutions and RBA Architects and Conservation Consultants and completed by March 2022


Appeal to artists

Eltham is famous for the Montsalvat artist community, which built a rustic set of medieval-style buildings in the 1930s. Aside from the Montsalvat artist community, Eltham has also been home to artists such as
Walter Withers Walter Herbert Withers (22 October 1854 – 13 October 1914) was an English-born Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionists. Biography Withers was born at Handsworth, Staffordshire, the s ...
and Neil Douglas, as well as to writers such as Alan Marshall and Mervyn Skipper.


Education

Primary schools include Eltham Primary School which was established in Little Eltham in July 1855, Our Lady Help of Christians Primary, Eltham East Primary and Eltham North Primary School. Eltham encompasses the state secondary school, Eltham High School, as well as a private girls secondary school,
Catholic Ladies College, Eltham Catholic Ladies College, Eltham (also known simply as CLC Eltham) is an independent Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for girls, located in the Melbourne suburb of Eltham, Victoria, Australia. The school provides a Catholic and gen ...
. Another private secondary school, Eltham College of Education, takes its name from Eltham, but is located in nearby
Research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
. There are various childcare and early learning centres available. Several schools are also located in the exclusive connecting area of
Eltham North Eltham North is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Banyule and Shire of Nillumbik local government areas. Eltham North recorded a population of 6 ...
, including St. Helena Secondary College, Plenty Valley International Montessori School, Holy Trinity Primary School, Glen Katherine Primary School and near Eltham College there is Research Primary.


Transport

Eltham railway station is located on the Hurstbridge Line. Eltham is a key connection point of bus services across the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne, including the Route 902 orbital service. Eltham Railway Station services as a local hub for buses to locations including Warrandyte, Diamond Creek, Greensborough, Doncaster and local services.


Sport

World champions
Emma Carney Emma Elizabeth Carney (born 29 July 1971) is an Australian former professional triathlete and two time World Triathlon Champion. She is one of a few triathletes in the world to have won two ITU world titles. She was the world number one triath ...
(triathlete) and
Cadel Evans Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along with ...
(racing cyclist) are both Eltham residents. The suburb is home to the Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club which is the largest basketball club in Australia, Eltham Redbacks Football Club and Eltham Cricket Club. Eltham Old Collegians Football Club compete in the VAFA. Eltham Football Club, known as the Panthers is an Australian Rules Club competing in the
Northern Football League The Northern League is a men's football league in north east England. Having been founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest football league in the world still in existence after the English Football League. It contains two divisions; Division ...
. Eltham Rugby Union Football Club is centrally located in Bridge St with teams for all groups including Masters. The suburb is home to the Eltham Tennis Club, Eltham Netball Club and Eltham Bowling Club (which has both grass and synthetic greens), and Eltham Lacrosse Club. Eltham Little Athletics Club is one of the largest of the eight clubs competing weekly at the Diamond Valley Little Athletics Centre at
Willinda Park, Greensborough Willinda Park, Greensborough is located at the end of Nell Street, Greensborough and is maintained by the City of Banyule and the Willinda Park Committee of Management. Willinda Park has a polyurethane athletic track and is the home of Diamond ...
.


Historic trestle bridge

Eltham is home to a historic wooden railway trestle bridge. The bridge was built in 1902 and is the only wooden trestle bridge still in use in Melbourne's electric railway network. It is also one of few wooden trestle bridges in use in Victoria. It was built as part of the extension of the
Hurstbridge Railway line The Hurstbridge railway line is a commuter rail passenger train service in Melbourne, Australia. It shares tracks with the Mernda railway line until Clifton Hill, then heads in a north-east direction through the cities of Yarra, Darebin an ...
from
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
to Hurstbridge which opened in 1912.


Facilities

The Diamond Creek trail passes through Eltham. Eltham Cemetery Eltham Farmers' Market Eltham Library is operated by
Yarra Plenty Regional Library Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) provides a public library service to the local government municipalities of the City of Banyule, Shire of Nillumbik and City of Whittlesea in the northeast of Melbourne Australia and located on the lands of ...
. Eltham Leisure Centre features the Platinum Pool Program which meets the gold standard by Life Saving Victoria. The Senior Citizen's Centre was completed in 1967.


Parks

Alistair Knox Park() is named after Alistair Knox, a famous local
landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...
who specialised in
mud brick A mudbrick or mud-brick is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of loam, mud, sand and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE, though since 4000 BCE, bricks have also been ...
. The park is located on Main Road near the central Eltham shopping strip. The Eltham Library is located nearby. The kids playground is found within the open and lightly wooded forest. Facilities include an old wooden playground, toilets, barbecues, a duck pond, and a sculpture."Alistair Knox Park."
Playground Finder. N.p., 30 April 2011. Web. 6 August 2013.
Alan Marshall Reserve is located on the corner of Main Road and Leane Drive. It was named for the author who lived part of his life locally. The park has been there since at least 2007. Barak Bushlands are at the location previously known as Falkiner Street Reserve, located to the west of Wingrove Park along the Diamond Creek. They were named for Indigenous leader
William Barak William Barak, named Beruk by his parents, (1823 – 15 August 1903), the "last chief of the Yarra Yarra tribe", was the last traditional ngurungaeta (elder) of the Wurundjeri-willam clan, the pre-colonial inhabitants of present-day Melbourne, ...
by Nillumbik Shire Council in 2004. Laughing Waters park is a bushland named after the sound of the kookaburras, and the water running over the rocks in the nearby waterhole, which is a busy spot for tourists. It was a popular spot for the artists of Montsalvat to live and paint. Closer to the Yarra River, it is riparian forest, inland it is damp dry open forest.


Community groups

* 1st Eltham Scouts * 2nd Eltham Sea Scouts * Eltham Child Care Cooperative * Eltham Community Action Group are active in the community and work to maintain Eltham's character. *
Eltham District Historical Society Eltham District Historical Society is a community organisation devoted to the collection, preservation and sharing of stories about the local history of the Eltham district in the north east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its geographic ar ...
collects, preserves and share stories about the
local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small bu ...
of the Eltham district. * Eltham Toy Library provides an environment for children to learn, grow and play. *Rotary Club of Eltham * Welcome to Eltham supports refugees and people seeking asylum settling in Eltham.


Notable residents

* Peter Bassett-Smith - Cameraman * Clem Christesen - Literary Editor *
Nina Christesen Nina Mikhailovna Christesen (23 December 1911 – 8 August 2001) (née Maximoff) pioneered the study of Russian in Australia and founded the Department of Russian Language and Literature at the University of Melbourne in 1946. Personal life and ...
- Russian Academic * Peter Hitchener- news reader * Kerry Armstrong - actor *
Emily Browning Emily Jane Browning
. Celebritywonder, retrieved 30 June 2011
(born 7 December 1988
- actor *
Tim Burstall Timothy Burstall AM (20 April 1927 – 19 April 2004) was an English Australian film director, writer and producer, best known for hit Australian movie '' Alvin Purple'' (1973) and its sequel '' Alvin Rides Again''. Burstall's films featured ...
- film director *
Emma Carney Emma Elizabeth Carney (born 29 July 1971) is an Australian former professional triathlete and two time World Triathlon Champion. She is one of a few triathletes in the world to have won two ITU world titles. She was the world number one triath ...
- Multiple World Champion Triathlete, Sport Australia Hall of Fame Member, World Triathlon Hall of Fame, Triathlon Australia Hall of Fame. Athletics Australia Member #700. *
Cadel Evans Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along with ...
- cyclist *
Peter Helliar Peter Jason Matthew Helliar (born 16 June 1975) is an Australian comedian, actor, television, radio presenter, writer, producer and director. He is best known for his work on television as a former regular co-host of '' The Project'' on Networ ...
- comedian * Phil Judd - musician and artist. Founder of
Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band bui ...
and The Swingers. Wrote the No. 1 hit " Counting The Beat" * Alistair Knox - house builder and landscape architect *
Percy Leason Percy Alexander Leason (23 February 1889 – 11 September 1959) was an Australian political cartoonist and artist who was a major figure in the Australian tonalist movement. As a painter and commercial artist his works span two continents. Ea ...
- Political cartoonist and artist *
Greg Macainsh Gregory John Macainsh (born 30 December 1950) is an Australian former musician and songwriter. He provided bass guitar and backing vocals for pop rockers, Skyhooks from 1973 to 1980 and subsequently for various reformations. According to Austra ...
- musician and songwriter * Alan Marshall - author *
Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in '' The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010 ...
- actor *
Peter Moore Peter or Pete Moore may refer to: Politicians *Peter Moore (British politician) (1753–1828), English civil servant of the East India Company and politician *Peter Moore (Queensland politician) (born 1938), member of the Queensland Legislative As ...
- Australian Rules Footballer * Adam Simpson - former captain of the
Kangaroos Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...
Australian rules football club * Donald Thomson - anthropologist *
Terry Wallace Terry Wallace (born 13 December 1958) is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships. After one season wit ...
- former AFL coach, Richmond Football Club * Merrick Watts - comedian * Wilbur Wilde - musician, television personality * Daniel Young aka Muph - Rap lyricist from the Puah Hedz and Muph & Plutonic (Aria nominated 2008 album " And Then Tomorrow Came"). Released 8 albums from 1999 to 2019. Every release mentioned "Eltham" in the lyrics and it even had the 2003 son
"A Tribute To Eltham"


See also

*
Shire of Diamond Valley The Shire of Diamond Valley was a local government area about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1964 until 1994. History The name relates to the lowlands to t ...
– Parts of Eltham were previously within this former local government area. * Shire of Eltham – Parts of Eltham were previously within this former local government area. * Eltham copper, a subspecies of butterfly particular to, and named after Eltham


References


External links


Eltham - eMelbourne the city past and present

Eltham Town

Victorian Places - Eltham and Etham Shire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eltham, Victoria Suburbs of Melbourne Suburbs of the Shire of Nillumbik