Wollert is a town in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia, 27 km north from Melbourne's central business district

Melbourne city centre

Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...

. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea

City of Whittlesea

The City of Whittlesea is a Local Government Area located in the outer northeastern suburbs of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covers an area of , and has an estimated population of 155,113 people.-History:...

. At the 2006 Census, Wollert had a population of 348.

History

"Wollert" is an Aboriginal word meaning “where possums abound”, and the suburb takes its name from the land parish in which part of it is situated. From 1836 until the early 1850s, sheep raising was the main activity. In 1853, much of the land was subdivided into smaller farm lots, and necessary access roads laid out. During this period Wollert became a dairying community, with significant dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

 production continuing for the Melbourne market until the 1960s. In more recent years, dairying has largely ceased and smaller-scale grazing and Wollert's quarrying and brickmaking facilities represent the suburb's main industries.

The first school, established by the Church of England

Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Church of Australia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. It was previously officially known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania...

, commenced in 1852. A bluestone Government school replaced it in 1877 and continued until 1994. A Methodist Church was built in 1878 to replace an earlier one built in 1859. This church continued as the Wollert Uniting Church. The Wollert General Store is still in operation, but the adjacent Dance Palais is no longer is use. Wollert Post Office opened on 1 September 1876, closed in 1895, then reopened in 1902.

During the late 1940s, several large Wollert properties were purchased by the Soldier Settlement Commission

Soldier settlement (Australia)

Soldier settlement refers to the occupation and settlement of land throughout parts of Australia by returning discharged soldiers under schemes administered by the State Governments after World Wars I and II.- World War I :...

. They were then subdivided and allocated to eligible ex-servicemen

Landmarks

• Australia's largest brickmaker, Brickworks Limited
  Brickworks Limited
  Brickworks Limited is a group of Australian companies manufacturing building products, primarily bricks and roof tiles. Brickworks was founded by a number of Sydney brick manufacturers in 1934 in response to the Great Depression...
  
  , operates a plant in Wollert.
• "The Christian Church in Melbourne" has its meeting hall at Wollert, on the site of the former Government school.
• The historic 1878 Methodist church in Wollert now houses the Annunciation Sisterhood of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad.