The Wollert Community Farm will benefit from a $1 million Commonwealth Government grant to further boost the outcomes of the award-winning project.
An innovative project led by Whittlesea Community Connections and Yarra Valley Water, the farm creates opportunities for community connections, conservation, and enterprise development to benefit locals and the environment.
The farm, which has been in planning for six years, is located on land owned by Yarra Valley Water, in the buffer between the Aurora Recycled Water Treatment Plant and the communities of Wollert, Roxburgh Park, North Epping, and Craigieburn.
Yarra Valley Water is contributing land, access to recycled water and renewable energy, and expert support in planning, assets, and project management to drive the innovative project forward.
Whittlesea Community Connections and Yarra Valley Water are working to complete the project by the second half of 2026.
Funding for Stage Two of Wollert Community Farm was secured through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts’ Thriving Suburbs Program Grant of $1,028,619.
The farm includes infrastructure for native horticulture, including seed production, nurseries, and greenhouses, as well as meeting, education, and community spaces, toilets, utilities, access roads, and car parking.
The funding announcement marks a successful year for the community partnership, which was recognised with a Gold Award at the International Water Association’s 2024 Project Innovation Awards. The award recognised its groundbreaking approach to reimagining the use of land for community benefit and environmental sustainability.
Yarra Valley Water Managing Director Pat McCafferty said the farm was a great example of how collaborative efforts can lead to sustainable and impactful community outcomes.
“Wollert Community Farm is being recognised as an innovative local partnership that makes good use of otherwise unused buffer land at our treatment plant. It will include environmental education, a local food system that utilises recycled water, and conservation and land management,” he said.
Whittlesea Community Connections Chief Executive Alex Haynes said the grant would significantly boost the farm’s capacity to deliver on its mission.
“This additional funding means Wollert Community Farm is well on its way to creating more volunteer, training, and employment opportunities for local people, as well as implementing positive land management practices,” she said.
To learn about the farm, visit www.yvw.com.au/faults-works/planned-works/works-my-area/works-cockatoo-and-gembrook/wollert-community-farm.