Elwood, Victoria

Glenhuntly Road Elsternwick in 1938

The earliest inhabitants and traditional owners of the area now covered by the City of Port Phillip were the Yalukit Wilum, one of the five clans of the Boon Wurrung, known as the coastal tribe, and who were members of the Kulin nation. They inhabited the swampy areas below Emerald Hill and the sandy-ridged ti-tree covered coastline, which extended from St Kilda to Fishermans Bend (Port Melbourne). The Aboriginal inhabitants knew the St Kilda area as Euro-Yroke a name they used to describe the red-brown sandstone found along the beach. Yalukit Willam: The river people of Port Phillip, provides an Aboriginal history of the area.

On 17 April 1840, the ship Glen Huntly carrying 157 settlers, arrived in Port Phillip flying the yellow fever flag, indicating disease on board. At least 50 of its passengers were sick with typhus fever. A quarantine station, comprising two tent camps, was quickly set up at Point Ormond (then known as Little Red Bluff) for the arrivals, one camp for the sick ones and one for the others.[2] The arrivals were release from quarantine in June. At least three arrivals died at the camp and were buried on the bluff. They were moved to St Kilda Cemetery in 1898.[2]

Point Ormond had for centuries been the home of the Yalukit Willam clan. "The nearby Elwood swamp provided vegetables, wildfowl and eels. The reef which extends from the base of the Point into the sea provided shellfish, fish and crustaceans. Point Ormond was a very important source of seafood as Aboriginal women were visiting there three times per week in the autumn of 1840 to collect shellfish". The quarantine station was set up right alongside these wetlands. However, Aboriginal people, not aware of the establishment of the dangerous camp, made a routine visit to these wetlands to harvest shellfish. This visit was cited by then Superintendent of the Port Phillip District Charles La Trobe as a reason to expel all Aboriginal camps from Melbourne on 19 April 1840.[2]

Originally, Elwood was swampland, with Elster Creek draining into the swamp near the beach. For most of the 19th century the wetland was viewed as a barrier to European development. Elwood Canal was constructed to connect the lower reaches of Elster Creek with Port Phillip Bay, three hundred metres north of Point Ormond. European settlement used waterways like Ester Creek for waste disposal. In 1869, because of the foul conditions of the Elwood swamp, local residents called on the St Kilda Council to remove the nearby abattoir and night soil depot.[3]

Installation of the Elwood Canal turned Elwood into an area suitable for residential development. Elwood was initially planned around the two central geographic features of Elster Creek (now Elwood Canal) and the promontory at Point Ormond, then known as Little Red Bluff. Originally a working middle class suburb in the early part of the 20th century, Elwood has seen waves of gentrification and is now one of Melbourne's most sought after bayside suburb. 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 buildings, including Maison de Luxe and Moulin Rouge (which operated out of the 1880s mansion "Pladda" built for Captain A. Currie), were subsequently demolished.

Despite its history of adversity, a modern suburb now thrives by the bay in one of Melbourne's most prized locations. Café life in the Elwood village seems a long way from the flood, fire and fever of earlier days. Coloured lorikeets flock to the green corridors of shady trees, a native forest has been planted on the foreshore and the once despised canal area is undergoing rejuvenation as a haven for walkers and cyclists.

In the 2016 Census, there were 15,543 people in Elwood. 65.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.9%, New Zealand 2.8%, Ireland 1.1%, United States of America 1.1% and India 1.1%. 76.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Greek 1.5%, Italian 1.4%, Russian 1.1%, Spanish 1.1% and French 1.1%. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 48.4% and Catholic 17.0%.[4]

Elwood Village consist mainly of the group of shops starting on New Street, through Ormond road to Glen Huntly Road. With many iconic restaurants and cafes, famous beauty shops and pet groomers/shop, and traditional boutique barbershops.

Elwood houses a number of schools, considering its limited area. There are 2 primary schools, one offers a catholic education. Saint Columba's 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. Elwood is also serviced by a local secondary school, Elwood College, previously named Elwood High School.

Elwood Sailing Club was founded in 1924 as Elwood Sea Canoe Club and has since hosted many national and international championships, including 12m2 Sharpie sailing in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 2005 World Formula Windsurfing Titles. ESC now boasts extensive sailing, training and social facilities and the clubrooms are available to the general public for function hire. Elwood has a full-time lifesaving club.

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

Elwood Park is home to a touch football club, tennis club and croquet club. Between 1881 and 1980 there was Elwood Football Club (soccer), later reforming as Elwood City Soccer Club.

Elwood Bowls club located at Elsternwick Park, in front of the Elsternwick Hotel. The demographic of the members are from all ages and the clubhouse is a good venue for your functions.

The main form of transport is the private automobile and bus. The major roads are on its periphery and include multi-lane Brighton Road, Marine Parade, Barkly Street and Glen Huntly Road.

Elwood is no longer serviced by rail. A tram line connecting St Kilda to Brighton, which operated between 1908 and 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.

Tram route 67 (Carnegie) runs along the northern boundary of the suburb, along Brighton Road/Nepean Highway to the city or via Elsternwick (past Elsternwick railway station) to Carnegie.

The nearest railway stations are about beyond the northern boundary of the suburb, at either Ripponlea or Elsternwick (both across Brighton Road/Nepean Highway).

Elwood is also served by a number of bus routes:

• Number 630 runs from Ormond Road Elwood to Gardenvale Station, Ormond Station, Huntingdale to Monash University in Clayton.
• Number 923 runs from St Kilda to Elwood, Brighton Beach, Sandringham to Westfield Southland.
• Number 246 runs from Elsternwick railway station, via Elwood, Prahran, South Yarra, Richmond, Collingwood (all via Punt Road) and up to Clifton Hill.

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 anglophone writers, essayists and poets, such as Shakespeare Grove, Dickens Street, Milton Street, Wordsworth Street, Byron Street, Keats Street, Tennyson Street, Poets Grove, Ruskin Street and Shelley Street.

• Ruth Borgobello
• Joe Camilleri
• Rodger Corser
• Louise Crawford
• Brian Dixon
• Esmond Dorney
• Teage Ezard
• Vincent Fantauzzo
• Belle Gibson
• Germaine Greer
• Alex Gurney
• Paul Hester
• Mark Holden
• Ken James
• Asher Keddie
• Bridget McKenzie
• Brad Miller
• Matt Parkinson
• Roland Perry
• Ronald Ryan
• Magda Szubanski
• Jane Turner
• Sam Wood

Like many of the beaches in Melbourne, Elwood is known for its spectacular sunsets.

• 
  Elwood Beach at dusk
• 
  The Spirit of Tasmania sailing through Port Phillip in dusk seen from Elwood Beach

• City of St Kilda – Elwood was previously within this former local government area.

• Australian Places – Elwood