About / Location
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Public Transport >>
General Information on Elsternwick >>
History of Elsternwick >>
Public Transport
Tram No. 67 to Carnegie from Swanston St. Stop 42 for Rippon Lea Estate and Stop 44 for Elsternwick Shopping Strip and Jewish Holocaust Centre.
Sandringham train tor Elsternwick Station.
A 15 minute drive or taxi ride from the CBD.
General Information on Elsternwick
The strength of Elsternwick Shopping Strip comes from it’s rich cosmopolitan feel and cultural diversity, combined with an amazing mix of high quality goods and services.
Within a short distance the retail precinct offers homewares, hospitality, entertainment and fashion.
With over 60 cosmopolitan restaurants and cafes, the variety of food on offer covers a host of delicious flavours, including Hungarian, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, Portuguese, Afgani and of course the traditional Australian menu.
A strong fashion presence is predominated by divine independent retailers, with a sprinkling of the fashion chain stores, together offering a choice for all ages, tastes and budgets.
One of the true specialty areas lies in the amazing toy shops and baby wear shops, and these attract a loyal set of young families, some returning as second generation consumers!
The true retail mix of Elsternwick is supported by a major Coles supermarket, all 5 major banks, a Medicare office, Post Office, over 14 hair & beauty salons, fresh fruit and butchers, all the phone stores, computer suppliers and every professional service.
Add in the Classic Cinema, ample on street parking and easy access by public transport, and you will find that Elsternwick has it all !
The suburb has a population of approximately 9200 people, with the predominant age group being the 25 to 54 year olds. Increasingly, young families are moving to this area, attracted not only be easy access to all local amenities but also to the abundance of primary and secondary schools in close proximity.
Bordered by the major roads, Nepean Hwy to the west, Glen Eira Road to the north and Princes Freeway in the east this bustling suburb has much to offer the local resident and the discerning consumer.
History Of Elsternwick
Elsternwick took it’s name from the largest local property, Charles Ebdens house, Elster (which is German for magpie). The area had previously been known as Red Bluff. The nearby creek became known as Elster Creek and when the village grew up on the creek around 1860, the Anglo Saxon suffix ‘wick’, meaning village, was added.
In 1861 a railway line opened up from the city to Brighton, and it passed through Elsternwick. The tramline opened in 1889. From the mid dle of the 19th century, slowly some shops began to open along the main road. The original Post Office was opened in 1860. The Classic Theatre in Gordon Street is one of the oldest in Melbourne.
One of the most notable buildings in the area is the heritage listed 19th century mansion, Rippon Lea Estate. Built in the Romanesque style, it is hidden within beautiful Victorian grounds including a fernery, orchard, conservatory and lake. Today the property is owned and managed by the National Trust and you can find the house décor to be a lavish style and the gardens beautifully maintained.
In Selwyn Street is the inspiring Jewish Holocaust Centre which allows visitors a moving glimpse into the history through interaction with Holocaust survivors. Hear their harrowing stories whist exploring the museums comprehensive exhibition.
The longest established businesses in the shopping strip include; Dalgarno’s Homewares (403 Glenhuntly Road) the business was opened in 1913 by Mabel Dalgarno, aged 23. Followed initially by her son Keith and his wife Margaret, her grandson Barry then ran the business until 2003, when the fourth Dalgarno generation, Ann, took over. Almost 100 years in the one family is an exceptional achievement.
Hattams Menswear, (383 Glenhuntly Road) was originally started in Sale, in 1879 during the gold rush, by the current owners’ great grandfather. After a period in Bourke Street, during the depression in 1932, the business relocated to it’s current location in Elsternwick, with Alan running the business. After service in the second world war, son Lyle joined him. Current owner, fourth generation Ian, maintains many of the original features of the shop, including the only working “cash railway†in Melbourne, which is an icon of the retail world.
Blight’s Shoe Repairs and Tobacconist (405 Glenhuntly Road) opened in 1932 by Samuel Newton- Blight as a tobacconist, shoe repair and variety store. The business continued to be run by Samuels son, Newton Blight from 1952, assisted by his wife Margaret after 1963. From 1996 until the present, the business has been carried on by their daughter, Jane and her husband, Wesley Wilcox.
Wong’s Café ( 404 Glenhuntly Road) was established in 1959 by Wing and Rosalie Wong, both of whom are still involved in the Restaurant, together with their sons Michael and Stephen. Before the use of plastic and foil takeaway containers, customers brought empty saucepans into Wongs and these were filled with the take home food!! Wing remembers the variation in the size of the saucepans brought in as everyone hoped that a larger pot would mean a larger serving!
Lionel Meerkins Menswear, has been trading since 1961 with Lionel Meerkin at the helm for all of that time. With his clothing and his in-store barbers shop, Lionels has been a destination of many men over the years. In the days before credit cards and lay-by’s he introduced “budget accounts†which allowed customers to make weekly installment payments to pay off their purchases. Many well known, local, gentlemen have been outfitted in the shop over a long period of time.
The old and the new now sit comfortably beside each other as the street sees the construction of new apartment blocks incorporating retail stores. Together they create the blend that gives Elsternwick its true identity and character.
