Unfortunately, the club is in the path of the new drain, which does mean there will be some impacts. Due to the constrained nature of the area, the clubhouse and playing courts will need to be demolished, and a new clubhouse and courts will be built by 2027. We’re working with the Elwood Croquet Club and City of Port Phillip Council to investigate options to support the club’s operations during construction of the project.

From June 2025 to February 2027, parts of Elwood Park will be impacted by construction of the new drain.

Council is identifying alternate arrangements for sporting clubs that use Elwood Park, and Melbourne Water is supporting Council with these relocation efforts. We’ll continue to work with Council and the sporting clubs to minimise impacts as much as possible.

We anticipate the Wattie Watson Oval and soccer pitch next to Ormond Esplanade will continue to be available while we’re working in the area.

Sporting clubs can contact the project team directly by emailing [email protected]

From April 2026 until early 2027 we’ll be working in the Elwood foreshore area, which includes widening the pier to accommodate the new drain.

The beach and foreshore area will remain open to the public, with temporary fencing to help ensure beachgoer safety while we’re working on the outlet.

The shared user path will remain open throughout works, and traffic management will be in place to safely guide pedestrians and cyclists through the area.

The public gym equipment will remain available for public use and will not be impacted by works in the foreshore area.

A limited number of car parking spaces may be temporarily impacted while we’re working on the pier.

While we’ll work closely with local residents to mitigate impacts as much as possible, during construction local residents can expect:

• some odour, noise, dust and visual impacts due to construction activities
• some impacts to vegetation
• temporary impacts to parking such as Head Street on-street parking near the roundabout
• changed traffic conditions, including detours and traffic management, to safely direct road users.

Some walking trails will be impacted in Elsternwick Park and the dog park. Signage will be in place to safely redirect pedestrians while we’re working in this area.

Residents nearby might notice some odour, vibration, and changed traffic conditions such as traffic detours and relocating the Ormond Esplanade / St Kilda Street bus stop.

There may be impacts to the Brighton Gate complex driveway from St Kilda Street, but we will work with the owners corporation to provide advanced notice and ensure the secondary driveway on Head Street remains open.

Works in the road crossing at St Kilda Street may need to occur overnight, subject to Department of Transport and Planning approvals. We will provide impacted residents with advanced notice of works in the area.

We’ll be doubling the width of the pier to accommodate the new drain outlet, but we’re keeping the same look and feel. Elwood Pier’s heritage status means the existing features like the look of the balustrade walls will be retained.

Melbourne Water is committed to keeping the community updated as the project progresses.

There are many ways you can learn more about the Elwood Main Drain Duplication project, or contact the project team directly, including:

• Dedicated project 1800 phone number (1800 841 444)
• Project email address
• Social media posts targeted to the Elwood and Brighton communities
• Door knocks to discuss the project with local residents and businesses
• Community bulletins, newsletters and postcards delivered to letterboxes
• Community pop-up events
• In-person meetings
• Promoting the project through Council communications channels.

We'll continue to maintain contact with directly impacted residents, businesses, sports clubs and community groups, and will keep them informed of our project timelines and impacts as more information becomes available.

We’re aware there have been ongoing flooding and drainage issues in Head Street.

This area is very complex in terms of drainage, and there is no simple long-term solution to the localised flooding issues in Head Street. The highly developed nature of the area, along with multiple underground services, means available options are severely constrained.

Bayside City Council is planning a drainage upgrade project to address flooding issues in Head Street. We’re working closely with council to ensure our drainage projects are integrated to provide a wholistic approach to reducing flooding in the area.

Please contact Bayside City Council on 9599 4444 for more information on their drainage upgrade project.

The City of Port Phillip has developed a masterplan for the Elwood foreshore to ensure it meets the demands of a growing community and a changing climate. This will be implemented over the next decade.

We’re working in partnership with the City of Port Phillip to ensure our projects are integrated and achieve the best possible outcomes for the community.

It is likely that the Elwood Main Drain Duplication project will be completed before the implementation of the Elwood Foreshore Precinct Masterplan begins.

For more information on the masterplan, visit the City of Port Phillip website.

Bayside City Council is transforming the former Elsternwick Park golf course into a natural oasis to bring nature back into the urban area, providing refuge and tranquility for both wildlife and visitors. The new wetlands and water bodies will improve the quality of water flowing into Port Phillip Bay and provide a diverse habitat that, along with new trees and vegetation, will encourage native wildlife back to the area.

Melbourne Water and Bayside City Council are working closely together on the planning and design of a new wetland system (southern area of Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve) to ensure our projects are integrated and complement one another.

For more information on the Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve project, visit Bayside City Council's website.

The Elwood Main Drain Duplication project will be designed so that it avoids significant native vegetation (eg. Australian native Port Jackson Figs in Head Street Reserve, River Red Gums in Elsternwick Park). Tree protection zones will be put in place for significant trees and other native vegetation to be protected. Unfortunately, not all vegetation can be avoided. In some areas, we will need to remove or trim some trees and shrubs to undertake the works. Once works are complete, we will replace lost vegetation by re-planting in the local area and rehabilitate disturbed areas in accordance with plans approved by City of Port Phillip and Bayside City Council.

An integral part of our design process will include an assessment of the outlet with modelling of hydraulics and sand movement of the coastal system. The primary objective is to ensure no change to the sand movement along the beach in the Elwood Foreshore Precinct.

Project-specific environmental management plans will be in place throughout the works to protect the Bay and the plants and animals in the area.

We will work closely with City of Port Phillip, Bayside City Council, Parks Victoria, Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA) and community groups to manage the works and to ensure the significant environmental values of the local area are protected.

The Elwood Main Drain Duplication Project will provide an improved flood mitigation system to reduce the impacts of flooding for the Elwood community. The design of the drain will cater to 2070 climate change projections which includes sea level rises.

Like you, we don't like seeing litter and pollution in our waterways and the Bay.

There are a few things we’re doing to look at litter entering into waterways such as Elwood Canal; including a review of the functionality and effectiveness of existing litter traps.

Melbourne Water is also establishing a collaborative partnership with councils in the Elster Creek catchment on a whole-of-catchment analysis and action plan for litter. This will look at where litter is coming from (including mapping major generation sources and accumulation hotspots), how it's transported, what threats it poses to our waterways and identifying the most effective solutions.

Learn more about how we’re managing litter and pollution here.

The total volume and quality of water that will enter Port Phillip Bay will not change as a result of the project.