Glen Waverley sits approximately 20 km south-east of Melbourne’s CBD within the City of Monash, and is one of the largest suburbs in Melbourne by land area.
Glen Waverley today has a population of over 40,000 and a vibrant multicultural character that defines both its dining scene and its community life. The Suburban Rail Loop East, due to open in 2035, will bring an underground station to the heart of the suburb and further accelerate its transformation.
Begin your Glen Waverley trip the right way with Elite Taxis, Melbourne’s trusted choice for transport to and from Glen Waverley providing a safe, comfortable, prompt premium car service, so you can relax and focus on your journey. Book a luxury taxi ride today for a smooth, stress-free travel experience.
History
The area was first settled in the mid-19th century as farming and orcharding land known as Black Flat, with a school opening in 1868 and a post office by the 1880s. The name Glen Waverley was settled on in 1905, derived from a privately surveyed township named by its owner after Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels. A mechanics’ institute and free library were opened in 1909, serving as the community’s social anchor for decades, and a Catholic church followed in 1913. The railway line connecting Glen Waverley to Melbourne opened in 1930 — a watershed moment that began transforming the suburb from scattered rural settlement to the dense residential community it would become over the following decades.
As late as the 1950s, Glen Waverley was still largely undeveloped land. Rapid residential growth through the 1960s and 1970s brought new schools, a shopping strip along Kingsway from 1967, and eventually the large regional shopping centre known as The Glen. The suburb also carries a quirky footnote in Australian retail history: it was the site of Melbourne’s first McDonald’s, which opened on 12 September 1973 at the corner of High Street and Springvale Road and became Australia’s longest-surviving McDonald’s before being replaced in 2016. From the 1970s onwards, shifting immigration patterns brought a significant Chinese-Australian community to the suburb. By the 2021 census, around 60 per cent of residents had been born overseas, with large populations from China, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong. Affectionately nicknamed the “Centre of the Universe” by local Chinese-Australian residents — a nod to the suburb’s convenient transport links, excellent schools and comprehensive amenities —
Melbourne's South-East · City of Monash
Glen Waverley
Points of Interest
Things To Do
Kingsway Dining & Entertainment Precinct
Kingsway is the beating heart of Glen Waverley — a dining and entertainment strip running alongside the railway station that has grown from a modest shopping row in 1967 into one of Melbourne’s most celebrated multicultural food precincts. Dozens of restaurants, cafés and Asian grocers line the street, with Chinese and Hong Kong cuisine particularly exceptional. Bubble tea shops, Malaysian hawker-style eateries, Japanese restaurants, Korean BBQ venues and specialty Asian supermarkets sit alongside established European café operators, creating an atmosphere unlike almost anywhere else in Melbourne’s south-east. The precinct is especially alive on weekends and evenings, when Kingsway fills with families and diners from across the region.
The Glen Shopping Centre
The Glen is Glen Waverley’s major regional shopping centre on Springvale Road, with over 240 stores taking in David Jones, Uniqlo, H&M, JB Hi-Fi and all three major supermarkets alongside a broad range of specialty retailers. A $500 million redevelopment completed in 2019 significantly upgraded the precinct, adding a popular fresh food market hall on the lower ground floor, a fine dining and restaurant precinct, and the Sky Garden residential towers. The lower-ground fresh food hall in particular has become a destination in its own right, drawing shoppers from well beyond the suburb for its Asian produce offer and market atmosphere.
Century City Walk & Village Cinemas
At the southern end of Kingsway, Century City Walk houses the Village Cinemas multiplex — the only cinema in Melbourne with 4DX facilities, alongside VMax and Gold Class screens — making it a genuine destination for film lovers. Strike Bowling, a variety of dining options and two hotels (Novotel and Ibis) round out an entertainment complex that caters equally to weeknight outings and full-day family visits.
Monash Aquatic & Recreation Centre
The Monash Aquatic & Recreation Centre on Waverley Road is a comprehensive community fitness facility with a 50m outdoor pool, 25m indoor pool, wave pool, learn-to-swim pool, a full gym and group fitness programme. One of the larger aquatic centres in the south-east, it caters to serious lap swimmers, families with young children and gym-goers alike, and opens early on weekdays from 5:45am.
Jells Park (Yabby Hill Park), Wheelers Hill
On Glen Waverley‘s eastern boundary, or just across the boundary from Scoresby in neighbouring Wheelers Hill, Jells Park is one of Melbourne’s most popular and expansive public parks, drawing over 700,000 visitors a year across its 129 hectares.
At its heart is Yabby Hill Park, a multimillion-dollar nature-based adventure playground built into and around a gentle hillside. The design celebrates local native animals at every turn, with a giant yabby at the entrance, a mob of kangaroos, possums and bird wings woven into the play structures — each sharing information about the local wildlife. Features include trampolines, a ropes course, floating rocks, a large sandpit with water pumps, round cubby houses, swings and community gathering circles, as well as a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round and accessible paths throughout. The hilltop wooden tower offers lovely views across the Dandenong Creek Valley to the lake and the Lysterfield hills beyond. Covered BBQ areas, picnic tables, a café and public toilets round out the facilities, making this an easy full-day outing for families. Access is from Waverley Road, Wheelers Hill.
Yabby Hill Park sits within Jells Park in Wheelers Hill, immediately west of the Scoresby boundary — it’s a 2–3 minute drive from the Scoresby attractions along Ferntree Gully Road.
Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh)
A short drive south-east along Ferntree Gully Road in Wheelers Hill, the Museum of Australian Photography is Australia’s dedicated home of photography and one of the region’s most rewarding free cultural destinations. Set in tranquil bushland grounds with a reflective pond, gum trees and outdoor sculpture, MAPh presents major changing exhibitions year-round and hosts the Bowness Photography Prize — one of the country’s leading contemporary photography awards. Open Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday; free entry.
Why Use Elite Taxis?
Our Luxury Fleet
Our luxury cars are meticulously maintained to ensure the utmost comfort, safety, and style.
Our Professional Chauffeurs
Our skilled, experienced, courteous drivers are trained to anticipate and fulfil all your travel needs.
Our Personalised Service
We live to create a seamless personalised travel experience, whether for business or pleasure, tailored to your preferences.
Our Reliability
We get you there. Our vehicles are reliable, and our drivers prompt and efficient.
Click to view our Elite Taxis Melbourne Google Profile & Map.
Or post a review.
Service Areas
The Premiere Melbourne Taxi Service offering Luxury Travel with Premium Comfort and Style, and trained and attentive drivers in obsessively well-maintained vehicles providing you with an Unforgettable Journey.
We cover all of Melbourne, however these are the most frequented service areas:
