Melbourne Water's Elwood Main Drain Duplication

Changes to Elwood Park

• Head Street Gardens: dog off-leash area

  This area will be closed for the entire period of the project.

  The closest dog off-leash areas include:

  • Elwood Beach (restrictions apply during winter months) - 350m
  • Elsternwick Park (restrictions apply) - 850m
  • M.O. Moran Reserve dog park - 2.2km.

  Please note, dogs are prohibited from the fenced lake area at Elsternwick Park. Dogs are permitted off-leash in some areas of the park and must always be under effective control. Dog owners must keep their dogs on-leash when within 20 metres of an area being used for organised sport and training, playground, barbecues and picnic areas.

• Elwood Croquet Club

  The Elwood Croquet Club will be closed during the project, with the building to be demolished to allow for the new drain.

  This will be reconstructed after the drain project and designs for the new pavilion and courts will be shared with the community in 2026.

  The Elwood Croquet Club will relocate to the Brighton Croquet Club for the duration of the projects.

• Head Street A and B sportsgrounds

  Head Street A and B sportsgrounds will be closed for the duration of the project. These grounds will be reconstructed at the conclusion of the project. Designs for the new grounds will be shared with the community in 2026.

  Impacted sports clubs will continue to use Wattie Watson Oval and Esplanade soccer pitch during the construction of the drain. They will also be given access to other grounds within Port Phillip such as Peanut Farm Oval, Lagoon Reserve and Alma Park.

• Elwood Beach

  The southern section of Elwood Beach is inaccessible 
  while essential drainage works are underway. 

  This includes replacing the existing drain outlet and constructing 
  a new duplication outlet.

• Bay Trail and pedestrian path

  The Bay Trail and pedestrian path will be temporarily detoured for the project to allow for heavy vehicles to access the foreshore and beach area.

  Access along the Bay Trail will change during the week when construction is taking place. The pathways will be managed by traffic controllers.

• Carnival site/Jongar Reserve

  This site usually hosts the Bourne Local Market and triathlon events and will become a training ground for winter sport clubs while Head Street A and B sportsgrounds are impacted.

• Tree and vegetation removal

  Tree and vegetation removals are required within the park to allow for the installation of the new drain and access to the site. A planning permit for the removal was granted, as was approval from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action via Marine and Costal Act consent.