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Wollert Village Reserve Boundary Dry Stone Wall

Location

Cooper Street, east of Merri Creek,, EPPING VIC 3076 - Property No B7161

File Number

B7161

Level

Local

Statement of Significance

The Wollert Village Reserve boundary dry stone wall is of historical significance at the local level, as a rare feature, which demonstrates the very first stages of European settlement in the Port Phillip District. While it is degraded, it still stands in its original location to mark the boundary of the Wollert Village Reserve and so marks the first step in the appropriation and alienation of Aboriginal land and the establishment of the British and Colonial authority over the Port Phillip District.
The wall is also significant as a marker of the imported land management practices and construction techniques of the first white (Anglo Celtic) settlers in the district and a demonstration of the practical requirements for bringing 'virgin' land into agricultural production.
Aesthetically the wall is a reminder of the original character of the landscape as it is constructed from the available field stone and has been colonised by remnant indigenous vegetation. It also provides potential habitat value for rare native fauna.
As a distinctive local landscape feature the wall recalls the efforts of tenant farmers to establish property rights and contain their livestock while also demonstrating the adaptation of British farming practice to the new country.
Classified: 08/04/2002

Group