The Ranelagh Estate

The Ranelagh Estate is a subdivision of some 800 blocks bounded by Port Phillip, Canadian Bay Road, Mount Eliza Way, the Nepean Highway and Earimil Creek. The Estate was sympathetically designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin in 1924 to complement the natural beauty of the hilly terrain nestled between coast and bushland. His long curved streets provide a view of trees and greenery, rather than bitumen and concrete.

The Ranelagh Estate is an intact subdivision that is significant both for its authorship and its rarity. It also possesses a landscape quality rarely matched in Australian suburban design. There are few examples of the Griffins’ work existing outside Canberra. The Ranelagh Estate is one of these. Others are at Eaglemont near Ivanhoe and at Castlecrag in Sydney. The hallmark of Griffin’s planning is the system of open parklands which intersperse the built environment. These open space lots were specifically designed to allow families and children recreation space away from the street.

The estate consists of single and double storey houses situated on spacious blocks. Amongst these properties are a number of individually significant houses and gardens. There is a mixture of well maintained native and traditional private gardens that complement the surrounding natural beauty.