Elsternwick, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Elsternwick is a leafy inner suburb about nine kilometres south-east of central Melbourne, in the City of Glen Eira. The land is part of the Country of the Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation, its traditional owners. The suburb takes its name from Elster, the home of the early settler Charles Ebden, elster being a German word for magpie; a village later grew on Elster Creek, and the old English ending meaning village was added. The railway arrived in 1861, and graceful Victorian and Federation homes followed. Among its landmarks are the grand Rippon Lea Estate, a National Trust mansion set in sweeping gardens, and the Classic Cinemas on Glen Huntly Road, begun as a public hall in 1888 and showing films since 1911, said to be Melbourne's oldest cinema in continuous use.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Elsternwick is more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1121, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Elsternwick at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,887
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $2,209
- SEIFA score
- 1121
- Coordinates
- -37.8870, 145.0065
Elsternwick demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Elsternwick using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 31%, 39% of homes are rented, and 31% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,845 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,198 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,384 | 31% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,688 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,766 | 16% |
Share of the 10,881 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,386 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,280 | 28% |
| Rented | 1,747 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,733 | 38% |
| Townhouses & semis | 873 | 19% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,875 | 41% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,533 occupied private dwellings in Elsternwick.
- Median weekly rent
- $441
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,400
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,210
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,206
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,219 (31%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 2,157 (20%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 26 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,073 (82%)
- Labour-force participation
- 69.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.5%
- Employed full-time
- 3,780
- Employed part-time
- 1,923
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Elsternwick
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Elsternwick is January (average daytime high around 25.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 13.2°C). The area receives roughly 800 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.9°C | 15.5°C | 60 mm |
| Feb | 24.9°C | 15°C | 40 mm |
| Mar | 23.4°C | 14.2°C | 51 mm |
| Apr | 19.9°C | 11.6°C | 68 mm |
| May | 16.3°C | 9.6°C | 70 mm |
| Jun | 13.8°C | 7.5°C | 68 mm |
| Jul | 13.2°C | 7.1°C | 59 mm |
| Aug | 13.8°C | 7.3°C | 76 mm |
| Sep | 16.4°C | 8.4°C | 70 mm |
| Oct | 19.3°C | 9.8°C | 84 mm |
| Nov | 21.1°C | 11.7°C | 86 mm |
| Dec | 23.7°C | 13.4°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Elsternwick
Where is Elsternwick?
Elsternwick is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Elsternwick?
At the 2021 Census, Elsternwick had a population of about 10,887.
Is Elsternwick an advantaged area?
Elsternwick has an ABS SEIFA score of 1121, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 97 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 97% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Elsternwick?
Elsternwick has average daytime highs of about 19.3°C and overnight lows of about 10.9°C, with roughly 800 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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