Elwood, Victoria

Elwood
Melbourne, Victoria
Elwood; Melbourne, Victoria
	Elwood Beach
Population	13,785 (2006)
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Established	1900s
Postcode(s)	3184
Area	2.6 km2 (1.0 sq mi)
Location	9 km (6 mi) from Melbourne
LGA(s)	City of Port Phillip
State electorate(s)	Albert Park, Brighton
Federal division(s)	Melbourne Ports
	Suburbs around Elwood:

Elwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Elwood had a population of 13,785.

Elwood Beach is a popular bayside beach destination during summer where the beaches are used recreationally for windsurfing, cycling, touch football, cricket and walking.

The suburb has experienced ongoing gentrification, known for its mix of Edwardian and Interwar architecture character, its beaches and its leafy streets many of which are lined by London Plane trees.

History

Elwood was originally swampland; installation of the Elwood Canal turned it into a habitable area.

Originally a working middle class suburb in the early part of the 20th century, Elwood has overseen waves of gentrification and is now one of Melbourne's most sought after bayside addresses.

Large period houses, many from the 1920s and 30s with art deco touches, along with proximity to beach and foreshore have made the area very attractive.

In the late 1970s, like nearby St Kilda, Elwood was known for its nightlife and developed a reputation as a cabaret area. Many of these venues operated out of some of the suburb's quirkier old buildings. As the scene saw a demise in the early 1980s, many including Maison de Luxe and Moulin Rouge (which operated out of the 1880s mansion "Pladda" built for Captain A. Currie) were subsequently demolished.

Local Landmarks

Elwood Village is the main shopping strip, located on Ormond Road it has many restaurants and cafes. Other strip shops are located around the junction at Normanby Road.

Parks and Open Space

For such a leafy suburb, Elwood is highly built up and lacking in open space. The most popular and largest reserves are bayside including Elwood Beach, Elwood Canal, Point Ormond Reserve and nearby Elsternwick Park.

Elwood is not without environmental issues, however. The beach and canal frequently suffer from litter pollution and the canal has a distinctive smell resulting from the backflow of seaweed. However the local council has strategies in place to manage these issues.

Elwood Beach & Melbourne skyline
Elwood Beach
Elsternwick Park

Residential Architecture

Elwood is known for its mix of Victorian mansions, Edwardian cottages, Interwar apartment buildings. Infill development in recent decades has changed the character of the suburb, however some examples still remain.

Sherwood Hall is a large Victorian mansion at 14 Hennessy Street.

La Tourelle flats, 47A Brighton Road, corner of Dickens Street is one of the many large blocks of interwar flats in the area around Brighton Road.

La Tourelle flats, 47A Brighton Road, corner of Dickens Street.

Places of Worship

Elwood features St. Columba Church, a large Edwardian building.

Education

Elwood house a number of schools considering its limited area. There are 2 primary schools, one offers a catholic education. Saint Columbus Primary is located adjacent to the church and has access to a large number of facilities. There is also a large public school, Elwood Primary School [1] Elwood is also serviced by a local secondary school, Elwood College.

Sport

Elwood Sailing Club hosted the 2005 World Formula Titles.

Elwood has a full time lifesaving club.

An active Triathlon club operates in Elwood and the main beach hosts several triathlons each year.

Elwood is home to a touch football club and an indoor soccer club. The suburb once had an Australian rules football club, the Elwood Football Club between 1881 and 1980.^[3]

Transport

Elwood's main form of transport is the private automobile. The major roads are on its periphery and include the many lane Brighton Road and other multi-lane roadways include Marine Parade, Barkly Street and Glenhuntly Road.

Elwood is no longer serviced by rail. A tram line connecting St Kilda to Brighton which operated between 1908-1959 ran through Elwood down Mitford Street. After its closure the route was replaced by bus services.

Elwood is serviced by the Bayside Trail bicycle path. This path is used by commuters and also recreationally and it includes a roller-skating path used by rollerbladers.

Street Names

Many of the streets in Elwood are named after things related to the beach. These streets include Beach Avenue, Spray Street, Wave Street, Tide Street and Foam Street. Other streets in the area are named after famous writers, essayists and poets, such as Shakespeare Grove, Dickens Street, Milton Streeet, Wordsworth Street, Byron Street, Keats Street, Tennyson Street, Ruskin Street and Shelley Street.