History

The 13 hectare parcel of crown land that is now the Elsternwick Park Nature Reserve was once part of an extensive swamp/wetlands area. This place is on the traditional lands of the Yaluk-ut Weelam, Boon Wurrung clan of the Kulin Nation. It was not long after settlement that a way of life, that had ebbed and flowed with the wetlands here for tens of thousands of years was radically changed forever. For more history see: Yalukit Willam- The River people of Port Phillip http://www.stkildahistory.org.au/ebooks/Yalukit_William_by_M._Eidelson.pdf

European settlement eventually saw the wetland drained and the creation of the Elwood Canal which now allows flow from Elster Creek directly into Port Phillip Bay.

Elster Creek only flows in a natural state through the reserve and is part of an extensive catchment encompassing parts of four municipalities, the Cities of Bayside, Port Phillip, Glen Eira and Kingston. Generally, Elster Creek is a highly modified waterway, over twenty kilometres in length. For most of this length, it has been altered from a natural waterway into underground or surface concrete drains.

Works in the Reserve since the 1950s include a water diversion via the Head Street drain, the creation of a lake in the south of the park and a small wetland in the north of the park. Despite the modest size of this wetland, it has become popular with local wildlife.

Most people are aware that the land where the reserve is now was previously a golf course but may not know that before that it was a trotting track!

This site is unique for a number of reasons:
Elster creek runs through the reserve.

This is the only remaining waterway between the Yarra and Mordiallic creek. The presence of fresh water provides vital habitat for wildlife. It also causes challenges for local residents when it floods.
It has a variety of habitats:
it has a shallow lake and wetlands that provide vital habitat for water birds.
It has mature, hollow bearing gum trees, providing nesting sites for native birds.
It has grassy woodlands with areas of seed bearing grass, that provide habitat for ground feeding parrots.
It is relatively free from night light pollution. This is important for insect populations as well as nocturnal wildlife.
It has been relatively free from disturbance. Over the last decade, the golf course was failing, so numbers of golfers were low. Also, members of the public were not allowed on the site. This allowed the area to be a relatively quiet refuge for wildlife.
The site was neglected by the previous golf course operator. This allowed areas of seed bearing grass to go unmown and branches and leaves were left on the ground and hollow bearing trees were left untouched. This provided excellent habitat for native species.
All of these factors contributed to the site being a unique wildlife habitat. Bayside Council has recognised the uniqueness of this site in its decision to declare it a nature reserve.

The land is managed by Bayside City Council. BCC underwent 18 months of community consultation regarding the future of Elsternwick Park North in 2016 and 2017. This involved days where hundreds or residents gathered together and ideas were thrown around. There were council led community sessions in which groups worked together to sketch out and define their vision of what the land could be used for. This culminated in the community drawing up 5 plans for possible uses and designs of the park for council consideration.