Dendy Park Tennis Club

The official opening of the Dendy Park Tennis Club took place on 20th March 1971. The opening ceremony was conducted by the then Governor of Victoria, Sir Rohan Delacombe, and was followed by an exhibition doubles match featuring Neale Fraser, Geoff Brown, John Cooper and Mervyn Rose, all of whom represented Australia in the Davis Cup.

Before moving to Dendy Park, the club was known as the Elsternwick Tennis Club, having occupied an eight-court site in Elsternwick Park for around 50 years. In the late 1960s, with membership of the Club expanding, the decision was made to transfer to Dendy Park where additional courts and improved facilities were made available to members.

Initially 12 porous and six grass courts were constructed but the limited November to March grass court season led to their conversion to porous in the early 1980s; this allowed increased all year porous court utilisation across the facility. The Club now has 19 porous (clay) courts which makes it one of the largest clay-court facilities in the country. The front four courts provide additional run-off space so are particularly suited to championship play. Lights were installed on six courts in the 1970s and later on another seven courts following their conversion from grass to porous.

A large balcony (which provides a view across the whole complex) was added to the upstairs section of the two-story Clubhouse in the early 1980s and, in 1987, the upstairs lounge area was re-decorated and a bar installed. More recently, a covered outdoor seating area was constructed at the south end of the Clubhouse and the old tournament box was converted into a downstairs kiosk with kitchen facilities. Minor renovations and upgrades have continued on the upstairs level of the Clubhouse in 2010, 2011 and 2015.