Why we love Eltham, a Melbourne suburb with culture and a country feel
ARTS, fine food, a lush landscape and a miniature railway? It’s clear why Eltham is one of Melbourne’s best suburbs.
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ELTHAM is a place of contrasts, where modern suburbia meets bohemian artistry.
It’s not that far from the city, but its rich canopy of gum trees and laid-back atmosphere gives it a relaxed country feel.
Eltham sprung up on the banks of the Diamond Creek in the 1850s but the slow progress of the railway through the Diamond Valley — it only arrived in Eltham in 1902 — helped to slow growth and gave the region its unique character.
The local Nillumbik Shire Council bills itself as the Green Wedge Shire.
While some of Eltham’s vast quarter-acre blocks have given way to dual occupancies and unit developments, many aspects of Old Eltham remain, such as the iconic Montsalvat artist colony and the trees that make Eltham’s streetscapes so special.
Old and new are sometimes blended in ways that might surprise.
The local library was built in the 1990s using traditional Eltham mud brick and recycled timber.
The Arts
Eltham is one of Victoria’s arts hubs, and has been ever since it was a favoured haunt of some of the painters from the celebrated Heidelberg School.
Alan Marshall, one of Eltham’s most famous past residents and author of the novel I Can Jump Puddles, is immortalised with a statue at the front of the Eltham Library (Panther Place) and a Nillumbik literary prize in his name.
The library is opposite Alistair Knox Park, named after the famed architect Alistair Knox, whose mud brick and modernist designs feature throughout the leafy suburb.
The Nillumbik Shire has a rotating display of its art collection at the library, and the area is dotted with public art installations.
Private galleries in the area include the Eltham South Fine Art Studios and Gallery (6 Mount Pleasant Road), run by Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn Hannan, and the Nyora Studio Gallery (1 Nyora Road, operated by artist Emmy Mavroidis and furniture maker/sculptor Aldo Bilotta.
The Eltham Little Theatre (1603 Main Road, Research) is a renowned local theatre company with performances held throughout the year.
Montsalvat, the artist colony established by Justus Jorgensen in 1934, is the central to Eltham’s rich arts tradition. Take a tour of the lush gardens, view the gallery and soak up the atmosphere (7 Hillcrest Avenue).
Check out the incredible work of chainsaw sculptor Leigh Conkie at his studio (1305 Main Road).
Festivals
The Eltham Jazz, Food and Wine Festival is a must-see event each February, while the Eltham Mud Brick House Tour, held in October, gives visitors an insight into the area’s connection to mud brick architecture.
If animals large and small are your thing, drop into the Nillumbik Pet Expo in nearby Diamond Creek in October.
The Rotary Eltham Town Festivalis a November calendar favourite, held each year in the Alistair Knox Park
Also in November, the Eltham Copper Butterfly Festival celebrates the tiny and extremely rare species, which was discovered in Eltham in the 1980s, and efforts since then to foster their survival.
The butterflies have since been found in isolated pockets around the state but remain highly endangered.
Walking/cycling
Many of Eltham’s neighbourhoods are interspersed with walking and cycling trails, despite its hilly topography.
The Diamond Creek is noted as a haven for many colourful bird species and for platypus.
It’s possible to walk or cycle from the CBD to Eltham and Diamond Creek via the Main Yarra Trail and Diamond Creek Trail.
A host of other trails in and around Eltham take visitors through the region’s artistic and pioneering history.
Food and wine
Eltham is a paradise for lovers of food and wine, with vineyards and fine dining within a few minutes of Eltham and the famed Yarra Valley wine region less than half an hour away.
In town, the Ginger Garlic Indian restaurant (Shop 9, 9 Dudley Street) has been a staple of spice lovers for years.
There’s no shortage of great coffee and cafe fare, either.
Drop into Volumes (70 Commercial Place) for a fresh brew, browse the gallery and buy a book or some of your favourite tunes while you’re there.
The Eltham Tea House caters for simple tea or coffee right through to high tea (561 Main Road).
For those who seek comfort food, The Burger Lounge (902 Main Road) is a gourmet burger joint that regularly features in lists of the best hamburger restaurants in Melbourne.
Nando’s Pizza (933 Main Road) has been offering its dazzling array of toppings in an old-style suburban pizza shop since long before the Portuguese chicken chain of the same name arrived on our shores.
Markets/shopping
The Eltham shopping centre has the major supermarkets, a great selection of specialist retailers and an ever-growing list of cafes and restaurants.
The Eltham Farmers Market is held on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at the Eltham Town Mall (10-18 Arthur Street).
On the third Sunday of each month, the Eltham Craft and Produce Market offers a range of treats to tempt the tastebuds and the eye (Alastair Knox Park, Panther Place).
Not far away, St Andrews has a weekly Saturday market with a cruisy, hippy vibe, and there’s a monthly farmers market at Hurstbridge.
Playgrounds/child-friendly activities
The Eltham North Adventure Playground will keep the kids occupied for hours inside a massive roofed timber structure that looks and feels like a huge country barn.
Edendale Farm is right next door. It’s a community environmental education centre that teaches about sustainable living, complete with farm animals.
Like the adventure playground, Alistair Knox Park boasts a large play area and has a duck-filled pond, with easy access to walking trails along the creek.
Train buffs will adore the Diamond Valley Railway at the Eltham Lower Park (Main Road, Eltham South), a miniature railway that has delighted families for generations.
Year-round swimming is available at the Eltham Leisure Centre (40 Brougham Street)
Best place to take a photograph
Garden Hill. It’s a dormant volcano at Kangaroo Ground, a few minutes out of Eltham, with a war memorial tower that offers 360-degree views across Greater Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, the Dandenongs and the Great Dividing Range.
A separate viewing platform also offers sweeping views and is accessible for people of all abilities.
This stunning spot is also sacred to the Wurundjeri people, and a brilliant interpretative display at the platform tells the story of the area’s first residents and pioneering Scots who arrived in the late 19th century.
Sport
Typical of its unique character. Eltham isn’t just home to traditional cricket, soccer or Aussie rules (although the Eltham Panthers from the Northern Football League should never be forgotten).
Eltham’s lacrosse team is also known as the Panthers.
The Eltham Rugby Club has senior and junior rugby union sides.
The suburb is also home to one of Melbourne basketball’s powerhouses — the Eltham Wildcats.
Other attractions
You want more to see and do?
The historic trestle railway bridge that carries trains across the Diamond Creek is easily accessible via Panther Place and is well worth a look.
The Pauline Toner Butterfly Reserve (Diosma Road) gives visitors a chance to glimpse those elusive butterflies.
For more information, go to the Nillumbik Shire tourism website or consult the Nillumbik Tourism Association.
What else makes Eltham great? Let us know in the comments below.
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