2001–2002 Elly's mother, Liz Conway, comes to Erinsborough to ask her sister, Susan, to take care of Elly, as she is going to Sweden for six months. Elly arrives in Ramsay Street, accompanied by the police. She forms a bond with her cousin Darcy Tyler, but she struggles to get along with Susan's husband Karl. Susan faces a dilemma when she realises Elly thinks she is only staying for a couple of weeks, instead of six months. Darcy decides to tell her the truth, but Elly does not believe him and she is devastated when her friend, Michelle Scully confirms the news. Elly believes that she is getting a ticket to Stockholm, when her mother tells her to expect something in the post. However, she is disappointed when she receives a credit card. Elly then books herself on a flight to see her mother, but Susan manages to stop her from leaving. Elly forms a close relationship with Michelle, although they get off to a bad start when Michelle accuses Elly of cheating with her boyfriend,
Zack Shaw (Owen Lee). Zack starts spreading rumours about Michelle and she teams up with Elly to get back at him. They write rumours about him on the blackboard, but they are soon caught. Elly stands up for Michelle, straining her relationship with Karl and Susan. Elly informs Karl and Susan that she intends to move out when she turns sixteen. She changes her mind after listening to
Lyn Scully (
Janet Andrewartha) talk about family. Elly saves Darcy from the sudden effects of a heart problem, by giving him CPR. Elly is hailed a hero and she is given some work experience at the surgery. Elly briefly dates
Tad Reeves (
Jonathon Dutton). Karl and Susan decide to find out who Elly's father is, so they can give her some stability. Elly tracks down Ian Conway, who she believes is her father. Ian shocks Elly when he tells her that he had been informed Karl was her father. Elly asks Libby Kennedy if her father had ever had an affair and Libby admits that he did. Elly confronts Karl, but he tells her that he never had an affair with Liz. Elly is disappointed. Liz returns and reveals she is pregnant. She also admits that Ian is Elly's father, and that she had lied to him. Elly is devastated by her mother's neglect, especially when Liz forgets her birthday. When Liz asks Elly to come to Sweden with her, Elly is unsure, but decides to give her mother a second chance. She and Liz then leave for Sweden.
2016–2023 Fourteen years later, Elly returns to Erinsborough amid the high school formal. She flirts with Mark and Tyler Brennan. When Piper Willis sees Elly with Tyler, she becomes jealous and throws a drink over her. Piper is forced to apologise to Elly, who is revealed to be her new English teacher. Piper continues to be hostile towards Elly and later upsets her, causing Elly to almost hit Stephanie Scully and her son with her car. Mark is lenient towards her and Steph, who is dating Mark, becomes jealous of their friendship. Elly rescues Nell Rebecchi from a snake, but is bitten herself. Karl informs Elly that she is pregnant. However, she suffers an allergic reaction and miscarries the baby. Her former boyfriend offers no sympathy when Susan contacts him. Elly meets Ned Willis, Piper's half-brother, and they develop a relationship. Piper makes a formal complaint against Elly after she insults her. Susan finds that Elly has been marking Piper down, leading her to place Elly on probation. Elly undergoes counselling and she apologises to Piper. Elly and Ned's relationship is strained when his former girlfriend
Regan Davis (Sabeena Manalis) comes to him for help, and he takes her out of town to protect her from her husband Jacka Hills. Ned returns to see Jacka with Elly at The Waterhole, and they fight. Ned soon leaves town to get away from Jacka. Karl and Susan's teenage house guest Angus Beamont-Hannay develops a crush on Elly and kisses her while she is sleeping. Elly keeps the incident a secret, while telling Angus that nothing can happen between them. Elly's former boyfriend Derek Meeps visits and they have sex, leaving Elly to think they are getting back together, but Derek reveals he is engaged and expecting a baby. Elly gets drunk and Angus helps her to bed, where he kisses her again. Susan finds them together and reports Elly to the educational board. Elly tells Susan that Angus took advantage of her twice and he is questioned by the police. He apologises to Elly, before he leaves town. Ned returns for his father's wedding and he and Elly reconcile. Ned is arrested for arson and Elly agrees to give him a character reference. Ned persuades her to stay in Erinsborough and Elly tells him that she deliberately drove her car at a man she was dating during a heated confrontation. Elly's former boyfriend, Finn Kelly, becomes a teacher at Erinsborough High. Elly asks him to leave, but briefly reconciles with him. When Susan's medication is switched causing her to be hospitalised, Elly blames Finn, but no one believes her. Elly enters Finn's motel room looking for evidence, and she is suspended when Finn is appointed acting principal. Finn's crimes are eventually exposed when he tries to leave the country with Elly's student Xanthe Canning. Elly admits that she has feelings for Mark, and they begin a relationship, which Elly ends when she learns her friend Paige Smith also has feelings for Mark. Elly and Paige's friendship is strained when Paige and Mark get back together. Following Paige's departure, Mark kisses Elly, but she refuses to be his rebound girlfriend. Elly goes on a date with
Amy Williams' (
Zoe Cramond) former husband
Liam Barnett (James Beck). Amy gives them her blessing to pursue a relationship, however, Elly decides to put her friendship with Amy first and ends things with Liam. Elly's younger sister
Bea Nilsson (
Bonnie Anderson) comes to Erinsborough and Elly attempts to reconnect with her. Elly encourages Bea to apply for a job at the local garage, and stands up for her when Mark accuses Bea of inputting the wrong figures on the invoices. When Mark tells Elly how he feels about her, she kisses him and then tells him that he has to earn her love, which he does. Elly becomes suspicious about Bea's boyfriend Patrick, after Bea reveals they are getting married. Later that day, Elly receives a text from Bea, asking her to come to the national park. Elly's car is stolen and used in a hit-and-run on Xanthe. Elly insists that she was not the driver, but she is arrested and charged. While trying to locate Bea, Elly and Susan find her car and come face to face with Finn, who reveals that he is Patrick and the perpetrator of the hit-and-run. Finn locks them all in a shipping container and Bea blames Elly for ruining her life. Elly collapses due to dehydration just as they are found by Mark and Karl. Elly convinces Bea to move into Number 28, while Susan informs them that she has invited their mother Liz to Erinsborough. Both Elly and Bea confront Liz about Bea's departure when she was younger. Liz admits that she wanted Bea gone, as she reminded Liz too much of her father, Lars. Elly and Bea want Liz to leave, but let her stay when she claims that Finn robbed her. They soon learn that Liz made the story up, after she fell over while drunk, and Liz leaves. Elly and Bea grow closer and Elly offers her support when she realises that Bea is dyslexic. Elly bonds with Mark's sister
Chloe Brennan (
April Rose Pengilly), who confides in her about her relationship with businessman
Pierce Greyson (
Tim Robards). Elly, Susan, and Xanthe learn that Bea has gone to find Finn at a cabin in the bush and go after her. They run into Bea and then Finn, who taunts them on a cliff top. Finn is pushed over the cliff by Susan, after he threatens Bea's life. Chloe calls Elly for help after she runs away from Pierce. Elly urges Chloe not to leave the country and tell her brothers about her relationship with Pierce. Chloe also tells her family that she has
Huntington's disease, and Mark takes a test to see if he has it too.
Jane Harris (
Annie Jones) becomes acting principal at Erinsborough High and quickly comes into conflict with Elly. When Elly breaks the new rule about going off site, Jane fires her, claiming that she needs to lose a member of staff due to low enrolment levels. Chloe comforts Elly and kisses her. While waiting for Mark's test results at the hospital, Elly proposes to him and he accepts. During their engagement party, Chloe declares her love for Elly, but later tells her that she is always affectionate when she is drunk. Elly later reads a Christmas card from Chloe in which she admits that she is in love with her. She also learns Liz knew about the card and warned Chloe to back off. Elly, Chloe and a number of cafe customers are held hostage by
Raymond Renshaw (Frank Magree). The incident brings Chloe and Elly together as they support one another. Elly encourages Chloe to talk with her former girlfriend
Melissa Lohan (Jacqui Purvis), after she moves to Erinsborough. Mel soon learns about the kiss between Elly and Chloe, but promises to keep it from Mark. When Chloe and Mel reconcile, Elly expresses her concerns about Mel's intentions. After their friend and neighbour
Sonya Rebecchi (
Eve Morey) reveals that she has ovarian cancer, Mark keeps his feelings to himself and shuts Elly out. She soon discovers that he is visiting the graveside of his former fiancée, and asks him to talk to her. After Sonya dies, Mark leaves town for a while and later calls off the wedding via text message. Chloe comforts Elly, who kisses her and they have sex. Mark soon returns home and apologises to Elly, before asking her to marry him. Elly and Mark marry, but she tells him that she cheated on him with Chloe during the reception. Chloe tells Elly that she loves her, but Elly rejects her, telling her that their night together was a mistake and that her heart belongs to Mark. Elly attempts to talk to Mark, but he refuses to listen to her and asks her for an annulment. Elly discovers she is pregnant and tells Mark. They reconcile, but Elly soon learns from the doctor that she had a false positive and is not pregnant. Leo advises her to keep quiet and try and get pregnant as soon as possible, however, Mark struggles to be intimate with Elly and rejects her advances. She goes out drinking and has a one-night stand with
Shaun Watkins (Brad Moller), which results in her pregnancy. Mark later apologises for rejecting her and asks that they resume sleeping in the same bed. Elly learns Shaun is Finn's brother at the sentencing hearing. Shaun realises he is the father of Elly's baby and uses it to blackmail her into changing her victim impact statement, and convincing the Kennedys to house Finn. Susan offers Elly her job back at the school, where she clashes with student
Dean Mahoney (Harry Strand). With Leo's help, Elly manages to avoid having a twelve-week scan with Mark in attendance. He later catches her looking at his unborn daughter's ultrasound picture and assumes it is their baby, so Elly does not correct him. She later confides in Dr
Dora Dietrich (Kirsty Hillhouse) about the paternity of her baby. Dean soon reveals that he is Dr Dietrich's son and has read Elly's file, leading him to blackmail her. Finn later works out that Shaun is the father of Elly's baby, but agrees to keep it a secret. Elly suffers a
placental abruption after she is pushed over at school. Elly eventually tells Mark the truth about Shaun and the baby. She moves back to the Kennedys' and tells her family about the baby's paternity and why she asked them to house Finn. Shaun returns to town and asks to be a part of his baby's life. As he and Elly bond, Mark serves Elly with annulment papers, which she signs. When she learns that Mark has not filed the papers, she hopes they can reconcile. They share a kiss, and Shaun leaves town so they can have space, but Mark ultimately decides to end their marriage and files the papers. Elly and Chloe reconcile their friendship and Chloe stands up for Elly when a student taunts her about Dean. Elly and Chloe go on a date, where Elly admits that she feels overwhelmed, but Chloe assures her that she does not need to label herself and they end the date with a kiss. Elly discovers that Bea is in a relationship with Finn and voices her disapproval, though she relents when she sees Finn help Bea with her dyslexia. When Chloe calls Elly her girlfriend, Elly reminds her that she needs them to take things slowly. Chloe breaks up with Elly and they agree to remain friends. However, Elly constantly texts Chloe to arrange outings, which leads to Pierce confronting Elly and telling her that it is causing Chloe pain. As Elly walks away, she slips and falls on her stomach, but the baby is okay. Elly takes her friends
Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) and
David Tanaka (
Takaya Honda) to a birthing class, and continues to involve themselves in her pregnancy, which concerns Finn, who feels that Shaun is being left out. Elly goes to Sydney for a few days to spend time with her mother. She returns after Bea is hospitalised following an electric shock. Shaun supports her and asks her to start a romantic relationship with him, which she rejects. David later finds Shaun has some legal documents regarding custody arrangements, and when Elly confronts him, he tells her that his mother had them drawn up and they burn them. As Shaun helps Elly clear up the school after the formal, they share a romantic moment and later kiss. Mark leaves Elly a goodbye message as he plans to leave Erinsborough, but Elly seeks him out at the lake to talk and they say their goodbyes in person. Shaun returns to Switzerland and goes missing in an avalanche. He is presumed dead and Elly and Finn rely on each other for support. Bea helps them by holding a memorial for Shaun by the lake. When Finn violates his parole to bring Elly some pain medication at the school, he scares a student who later goes missing. Elly takes the blame and is fired. Finn offers her financial support and they grow closer. Finn finds and holds onto an old photo album of Elly's from when they were a couple. Susan notices the growing bond between Finn and Elly, as does Finn's mother
Claudia Watkins (
Kate Raison), who tells Bea. Elly and Finn reassure her that nothing is going on between them. However, their feelings for each other grow stronger after Finn helps Elly give birth to her daughter
Aster Conway (Isla Goulas; Scout Bowman), while she is being held hostage by
Robert Robinson (
Adam Hunter). Susan catches the two having a romantic moment in their backyard and confronts them. Knowing she can not hurt Bea, Elly begs Susan not to tell her and decides to move into Number 32. But she is forced to call Finn over when she struggles to settle Aster. Bea contacts Finn's father
Trent Kelly (Peter Houghton), much to the Finn's chagrin. Elly comforts Finn when he discovers that his father intended to pay the ransom to rescue him when he was held hostage in Colombia, but ended up gambling the money. Elly and Finn kiss after Aster's naming ceremony, and Finn later tells her that he loves her. Finn, Elly, Bea,
Toadfish Rebecchi (
Ryan Moloney), Chloe, Pierce,
Kyle Canning (
Chris Milligan) and
Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson) head to Pierce's island for Elly's 35th birthday. Finn tells Elly that he and Bea have broken up and she has gone to Sydney, but Elly becomes suspicious when her mother tells her Bea has not turned up at her home and Chloe informs her that she and Finn had a confrontation. Finn offers to accompany Elly to Sydney, but when she finds Bea and Toadie's phones in Finn's backpack, she realises he has been deceiving her. She flees with Aster, with Finn chasing after her. Elly finds
Gary Canning's (
Damien Richardson) body and realises Finn has killed him. Finn eventually corners her, kidnaps Aster, and pushes Elly into a mineshaft where Bea and
Harlow Robinson (Jemma Donovan) are. He then sets the island on fire before leaving. Elly, Bea, Harlow are rescued when
Paul Robinson (
Stefan Dennis) finds an injured Toadie, and tells the others on the island of Bea's whereabouts. Upon reaching the mainland, Elly goes to find Finn, Susan and Aster in the Snowy Mountains. After rescuing them, she tells Susan that she is going to make sure Finn cannot hurt them anymore. She finds Finn has drowned in a makeshift grave he was digging for Susan. As the police arrive, she is seen attempting to bury Finn's body and is later charged with his murder. The charges are downgraded to voluntary manslaughter in a plea deal to avoid a custodial sentence, but Finn's mother Claudia blackmails the judge into giving her a three-year sentence, so she can gain custody of Aster. Elly befriends
Andrea Somers (
Madeleine West) in prison when Andrea helps save her and Aster during a riot. However, she soon realises that Andrea is scheming to get her son back and warns Toadie and Andrea's sister
Dee Bliss (Madeleine West). Andrea has her beaten up and later arranges a fight between her and another inmate. Elly is saved when she is called to the governor's office and told that she is being released, after Claudia's blackmail is found out. Elly is reunited with Aster and Shaun, who was recently rescued. Elly is initially reluctant to leave the house following her ordeal in prison, but Shaun encourages her attend Aster's vaccinations at the hospital. Shaun struggles to understand Finn's actions and decides to return to Switzerland to seek help. He returns a few weeks later and helps Elly when she is hassled by a journalist. He also supports her when she is rejected by a mother's group because of her history with Finn. Elly and Shaun have sex and begin a relationship. He later asks her to move to Switzerland with him. Elly's sentence for voluntary manslaughter is reduced to time served, and she is no longer allowed to teach. Toadie offers to get her and Aster some visas if they decide to leave the country, and Shaun tells her that he is considering taking over the family business. Elly agrees to move with Switzerland with him, but puts off telling Bea, leading to a confrontation when she does find out. Bea asks Elly to stay, as she needs her, but Elly says that she needs a fresh start. Karl and Susan return home from their holiday early to say their goodbyes. Bea decides not to accompany Elly to the airport and they say goodbye at the house, before Karl and Susan drive Elly, Aster and Shaun out of Ramsay Street. Two years later, Chloe visits Elly in Sydney, where she and Shaun have moved to after breaking up. Elly follows Chloe back to Erinsborough and tells her that she wants to be with her. Elly admits that she is queer and knows who she is now. She tells Chloe to take her time and call her when she is ready to talk further. Elly then joins Karl and Susan for brunch with her cousin Malcolm and his girlfriend
Izzy Hoyland (
Natalie Bassingthwaite). She later returns to see Chloe, who says that out of all her relationships, Elly has meant the most to her, but she is unsure if it is real. Elly tells Chloe what their life could look like together in Sydney, but Chloe is still hesitant and pulls away from their kiss as she needs time to think. Elly catches up with David and she meets Chloe's former girlfriend
Nicolette Stone (Charlotte Chimes). David points out that it took Elly a long time to come to terms with her sexuality, and that Chloe needs more than a day to figure out what she wants. Elly visits Chloe to tell her that she is leaving for Sydney, after realising that she needs to back off and give her some proper time to think things through. Elly adds that she will wait as long as it takes. Elly returns along with Bea to attend Toadie's wedding. Chloe kisses Elly, cementing their reconciliation as a couple. Chloe moves to Sydney to be with Elly and Aster. A couple of years later, Chloe returns to Erinsborough to temporarily help run Lassiters. She invites Elly to join her, who soon notices her odd behaviour. Chloe admits that she has started presenting with Huntington's symptoms, and offers Elly a way out of their relationship, so she does not have to watch her condition deteriorate. Elly seeks advice from Susan and Nicolette, before assuring Chloe that she means a lot to her and Aster. She then proposes, which Chloe accepts. In the midst of planning their wedding, Elly learns that Liz has been leaving Aster home alone while she is meant to be babysitting. Elly tells Liz not to come to the wedding. Susan offers to take care of Aster while Elly and Chloe go on their honeymoon. The couple marry at the pavilion in front of their family and friends, before leaving for their honeymoon that same day. ==Reception==