Mount Eliza is a seaside suburb on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located in the south of Greater Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria,

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, south-east of Melbourne's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center 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 wit ...

, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula

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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

. Mount Eliza recorded a population of 18,734 at the 2021 census.

History

The traditional

Boonwurrung The Boonwurrung, also spelt Bunurong or Bun wurrung, are an Aboriginal people of the Kulin nation, who are the traditional owners of the land from the Werribee River to Wilsons Promontory in the Australian state of Victoria. Their territory ...

name for the mount is ''Berringwallin''. The mount was given its European name in 1836 after Captain William Hobson’s wife, Eliza Elliott. Prior to large scale

subdivision Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

, Mount Eliza was mainly a location for holiday homes, with the Mount Eliza Post Office opening on 15 November 1920. This began to change in the early half of the 20th century when many old estates were subdivided. One such subdivision was Ranelagh Estate, designed by

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...

and Marion Mahony Griffin in 1924 in tandem with the surveyors Tuxen and Miller. Daveys Bay was named after James Davey who constructed a jetty in the 1840s to ship his produce to Melbourne. In 1909 the Daveys Bay Yacht Club was established, and winds its way to a walking track overlooking Mt Eliza Beach on the shores of Canadian Bay, which was named after three Canadians who owned a sawmill in the area in the 1950s. In 1928, the independent girls school Toorak College was built and is one of the oldest independent girls schools in Victoria. By the 1950s the shopping precinct began to develop and by the 1960s was a well established shopping village. Hollywood glamour came to Mt Eliza in 1959 when movie stars Fred Astaire, Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner arrived to shoot the Stanley Kramer film, On The Beach, based on the novel of the same name by British novelist Nevil Shute who had lived at nearby Langwarrin. Adjacent to Sunnyside beach sits a historical property Morning Star Estate. Morning Star Estate is a distinctive example of a Victorian era mansion built as a rural or holiday retreat on the Mornington Peninsula, it incorporates a number of architectural styles – including Tudor and Gothic Revival. Sunnyside estate (now Morning Star Estate) was originally purchased by Londoner Francis Alfred Gillett in 1865 a short time after he arrived in the colony in 1853. Gillett designed the Sunnyside mansion sometime around 1867–1870. In 1932 the property was purchased, with funds from a bequest, by the Catholic Church and became known as Morning Star Boys' Home. The boys’ home was developed into a country-training centre for delinquent boys, giving them exposure to the benefits of rural life. The boys later became involved in an extensive building program, which led to further developments of the property. Despite this, the mansion remained the dominant architectural feature of the property. Renovations and extensions were undertaken by the Franciscans in 1944–1946. Some effort to follow the lead of the mansion was made in the external Tudor/Gothic detailing of the large chapel. A number of courtyards were formed by the new buildings, including a large courtyard which was used for sports and was later enclosed. The remains of a football field lie to the south of the building complex, and a tall angular concrete pillar near the Nepean Highway originally carried a statue of the Virgin Mary sculpted by one of the brothers. Morning Star Estate has been in a number of films due to its location and historical buildings, including a three-month location shoot around the mansion for the movie Partisan, starring French actor

Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He has earned a César Awards, César Award and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Awards, European Film Award and a Screen Ac ...

, during 2013 and 2014. The mansion was also the location for the Kath & Kim movie spin-off Kath & Kimderella. Morning Star estate is also home to possibly the largest rose garden in Victoria, and the gardens surrounding the main mansion are home to more than 700 varieties of ornamental roses.

Geography

The suburb is bordered by Kackeraboite Creek, Humphries Road, Moorooduc Highway, Wooralla Drive, the Mornington railway line, Oakbank Road, Manyung Creek, and

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

. There are several beaches and bays located in Mount Eliza, which include Canadian Bay, Daveys Bay, Half Moon Bay, Moondah Beach, Ranelagh Beach, and Sunnyside North Beach. In addition Mount Eliza is also home to the Moorooduc Quarry Flora and Fauna Reserve and several creeks including Ballar Creek, Earimil Creek (formerly Dennant Creek), Gunyong Creek, Kackeraboite Creek, Manmangur Creek and Manyung Creek (named after the Manyung Fault).

Mount Eliza Village

The suburb’s main shopping area is known as Mount Eliza Village. It is situated at the intersection of Canadian Bay Road and Mount Eliza Way. Two major supermarkets, Ritchies Stores Supa IGA and Woolworths can be found along with many specialty shops. There i
a range of restaurants
from moderately priced restaurants to fine dining.

Education

Secondary schools

* Peninsula Grammar * Toorak College * Mount Eliza Secondary College

Primary schools

* Kunyung Primary School * Mount Eliza Primary School * Mount Eliza North Primary School * St. Thomas More Catholic Primary School * Peninsula Grammar * Toorak College

Kindergartens

* Toorak College Preschool * Peninsula Grammar Early Childhood Centre * Guardian Early Learning Centre Mt Eliza * Mt Eliza Preschool * Kunyung Preschool * Woodlands Early Learning Centre * Walkers Road Preschool * Mt Eliza House Childcare & Early Learning Centre * Little Grasshoppers Early Learning Centre Coolstores There is also another child care centre being built on 1412 Nepean Highway, Mount Eliza VIC 3930 designed by Rauhous

Sport

There are many sporting clubs in Mount Eliza, but most notable is the Mount Eliza Football Club competing in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League. Mt Eliza Cricket Club which is one of the most successful Cricket Clubs on the Mornington Peninsula with ten First Eleven premierships and a total of more than 55, including the Juniors. During the 1980s the club was heralded as the largest cricket club in Australia with nine senior teams and eight junior teams. Mount Eliza Soccer Club was formed in 2008 and has grown rapidly. They cater for all age groups and have approximately 500 members. The club competes in both the Football Federation Victoria Metropolitan League and Bayside League.
Mornington Peninsula Pony Club
provides

dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

and cross-country facilities for young equestrian enthusiasts. The club is affiliated with the Pony Club Association of Victoria. Other sporting clubs include the Mount Eliza Bowls club, the Mount Eliza Tennis Club and the Peninsula Old Boys Football Club which compete in the VAFA. Davey's Bay Yacht Club is located in Mount Eliza. The club celebrated its centenary in 2009. Mount Eliza Skate Park, located in Emil Madsen Reserve, Wooralla Drive, opened in 2012.

Mount Eliza Fire Brigade

Mount Eliza is served by a volunteer fire brigade, part of the Country Fire Authority. The station responds to approximately 250 calls a year within the local area, supporting neighbouring brigades and further afield in the event of large bush fires. The brigade currently has three vehicles, a Scania Type 3 Medium Pumper, a medium tanker for rural fires and a Forward Control Vehicle. Mount Eliza Fire Brigade is part of District 8.

Transport

Mount Eliza is served by two major roadways, the Nepean Highway and Moorooduc Highway. The Melbourne bus routes 772, 773, 781, 784, 785 & 788 also serve the area.

Notable people

* Sir Reginald Ansett * Sir Edgar Coles and Dame Mabel Coles * Greg Hunt * Rob Hulls * Nick Warner PSM AO * Walter Burley Griffin * Marion Mahoney Griffin * Peter Mitchell * Emilie de Ravin * Tim Wilson * Billy Brownless *Dani Venn * James Rees * Sir Laurence Hartnett * Brooke Satchwell * Joanna Murray-Smith * Cameron Daddo * Andrew Daddo * Lachie Daddo * Campbell Clerke * Grahame Begg * David Andersen * Alec Potts * Mete Erdogan * Melissa Clarke * Odette Joannidis * Sally McLean * Tim Ross * Mick Molloy * Kate Forster * Summer de Roche * Andrew Wrigglesworth * Jean Kittson * Laura Coates * Harry Norris * James Reyne * Henry Kerley *Ethan Hawkins * Hazel Chow *Czulak, Józef Karol (1915–1985)Josef Czulak, ADB
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Simon Hussey Simon Cyril Hussey (born 7 July 1960) is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, songwriter-arranger, record producer and audio engineer. In 1984 he formed Cats Under Pressure on keyboards with David Reyne (ex-Australian Crawl) on vocals and Mark G ...