COMMUNITY GARDENS IN THE ILLAWARRA

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1 @Bally s Community Garden COMMUNITY GARDENS IN THE ILLAWARRA 1 Community Gardens in the Heights Community Community Garden

2 Acknowledgments Community gardens are popping up all over Australia as people increasingly value their role in sustainable living and healthy communities. There are a number of active community gardens in the Illawarra. A great way to learn more about community gardens is to visit and take part in regular activities such as working bees and crop swaps at existing sites. Learn more about how you can get involved by checking out the information about community gardens in this directory. Food Fairness Illawarra acknowledges the following individuals for their hard work and contribution in the development of this directory. Berbel Franse: Sari Boschiero: Talia Johnston: Secretariat of Food Fairness Illawarra Project Development for Food Fairness Illawarra Project Development for Food Fairness Illawarra Contact Healthy Cities Illawarra for more details: (02) Community Gardens in the Illawarra

3 Wollongong area Bally Patch (Balgownie Community Garden) All are welcome to come along to the beautiful Balgownie Community Garden! The garden design is a combination of communal food forest and communal vegetable beds, as well as six privately rented allotments. All ages and abilities are welcome. Activities: Third Sunday of every month meet ups (9am) involving light gardening, shared food and good chats. In summer, the garden host twilight meet ups. End-of-year party is hosted in December each year including a BBQ and drinks to thank all their dedicated members. Lot 21, 5a Church Street, Balgownie balgowniecommunitygarden@gmail.com Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre Garden The Bellambi Community Garden is a shared garden of vegetables, herbs, fruit trees and flowers. The garden is more than just a wonderful place to harvest produce including funky looking veggies. It is a great place to meet new people, have fun and share your skills. Come and help the Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre grow their garden. New volunteers are always welcome! Activities: Weekly community lunch Wednesdays, 11.30am (during school terms). Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre, 49a Cawley Street, Bellambi manager@bellambinc.org.au odcentre/ 3 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

4 Wollongong area Bulli Community Garden Bulli Community Garden is open to anyone who is keen to get their hands dirty! This fun-loving community garden loves to teach people all things gardening with monthly working bees. The garden recently constructed two raised garden beds and filled one with plants for all the community to come and enjoy. The garden is busy with seedling events, harvesting new produce and welcoming friendly new faces to their garden. 328 Princes Hwy, Bulli Activities: Working bee, first Sunday of month, 9am 11am. Dapto Community Farm (Community Garden on site) Dapto Community Farm is a certified organic farm renting plots to commercial and community gardeners. It has over 100 members and 30m x 1.2m plots available to rent. Facilities available include washing and packing rooms, cool rooms and community kitchen facilities including wood fired pizza oven and BBQ. Get involved and enjoy chemical free vegetables by growing your own. New members are welcome! 29 Darkes Road, Dapto daptocommunityfarm@gmail.com m/ Activities: Contact for more details. 4 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

5 Wollongong area Friendship Community Garden Based on a permaculture model, the Friendship Garden is a harmonious, intergenerational and educational space for Afghans, Iranians and the wider cultural community. It involves practical gardening with ecological environmental practices, management, community capacity and leadership skills. The garden is managed by the Multicultural Youth Development Project (Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra). It provides cultural groups a place to socialise with each other and the wider community St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 36 Harbour Street, Wollongong allyson@mcci.org.au / Access: Open to the multicultural community. Contact for initial access. Activities: Cultural gardening groups and much more. Contact for more details. Greenhouse Park Community Garden The Greenhouse Park Community Garden was established in 2013 to educate volunteers about growing their own food. It is run by Wollongong Council and is maintained by Greenhouse Park volunteers who are dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the remnant salt marsh of the Tom Thumb Lagoon and the Green Bell Frog Ponds and Community Gardens. The garden is based on a permaculture model and allows volunteers to take home good quality produce to eat. Springhill Road, Wollongong (Mike) mmckeon@wollongong.nsw.gov.au tainability/pages/greenhouse-park.aspx Access: Volunteer access only. Contact for access. Activities: Working bee on Mondays and Tuesdays. Contact for more details. 5 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

6 Wollongong area North Wollongong PCYC Community Garden North Wollongong Community Garden is a fun and volunteer run garden located at the Wollongong PCYC with lots of activities and social meet ups for community members. The garden is over 20 years old and based on permaculture principles such as observe and interact, use renewable resources and services and produce no waste. North Wollongong PCYC, via Ajax Avenue thegardennorthgong@hotmail.com Access: Open by demand for public and volunteers. Contact for access. Activities: Working bee - first Sunday of the month 10am 3pm. Lunch 1pm bring something you make. Thirroul Community Garden The Thirroul Community Gardeners work together to maintain their community garden using permaculture design principles: earth care, people care and fair share. This permaculture garden has a creek and plenty of space for its gardeners to work and socialise. Visitors may visit the garden up to three times before becoming a member. Members can participate in regular working bees and take part in garden design, planning and maintenance. The garden is always looking for new members. Come along any Sunday morning to find out how to join! Corner Lawrence Hargrave Drive & High Street, Thirroul thirroulgardeners@gmail.com Access: Open to visitors and members. Contact for membership. Activities: Working bee, Sundays from 9am 6 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

7 Wollongong area Todd and Bent St Community Garden, Warrawong What was once a wasteland in Warrawong has been turned into a thriving permaculture garden thanks to Phoenix Van Dyke. For over two years Phoenix guided residents from the Todd Street social housing estate to create the community garden. The garden has a large array of produce including bush tucker trees, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins and lots of herbs. Local community member Sharyn Lacey, who completed a permaculture design course at TAFE, designed the garden. In 2015, it was a finalist in the Keep NSW Beautiful Sustainability Awards. No.1 Todd St, Warrawong (behind Block 5) (02) wcpwarrawong@bigpond.com munitycentres/pages/warrawongcentre.aspx Unanderra Community Centre Garden Activities: Working bee Thursday 8.30am-2pm (open to public). Second Thursday every month Garden to Table Lunch pizza oven, BBQ and seating for members to eat together. Come along to the Unanderra Community Garden and get your hands dirty! Originally established as the No-Dig garden, it s managed by volunteers with love and support to help the garden flourish. An edible Fruit Grove was started as a community project by Wollongong City Council. The Unanderra Community Centre Green Thumbs group always love new volunteers to help them maintain their Edible Fruit Grove. Cnr Princes Hwy & Factory Rd, Unanderra unanderracc@gmail.com Access: Open by demand Monday-Wednesday. Call for access. Activities: Green Thumbs Gardening Group, Tuesday 9.30am-12.30pm. 7 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

8 Shellharbour area Albion Park Community Garden Since 2012, the Albion Park Community Garden has been a place for passionate gardeners with a desire to garden, a place to meet other people who enjoy getting outside, getting their hands in the earth and growing fresh and delicious produce. The garden has an active Facebook group who are regularly hosting social and gardening events. Ross established the garden and is a retired horticulturist who has been involved in organic gardening since early the 1970s and maintains some of the community gardens in the Shellharbour area. Albion Park Community Centre, Russell Street, Albion Park (Ross) / Activities: Working bee, Tuesday, 9am-12pm. Barrack Heights Community Garden Established in 2008, the Barrack Heights Community Garden has a rich history of volunteers, projects, cooking and an abundance of produce from small orchards, citrus trees and bush tucker bushes. The purpose of the garden is to promote a sense of community. Trust, effort, knowledge, skills and responsibilities are shared so that an independent and sustainable lifestyle can be developed and maintained. After a slow period, the garden became active again in 2017 when Ross and his friends offered to clean up the garden and started producing again. Corner of Wattle Rd and Carrington St, Barrack Heights (Ross) unitygarden/ Activities: Working bee, Thursday, 1pm-5pm 8 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

9 Shellharbour area Tullimbar Community Garden Tullimbar Village residents first started moving into the new houses during 2008 and by 2009 there was an interest amongst them to create a community garden. The Tullimbar Community Garden is a great example of a new housing development that has incorporated the interest of the new residents and supported the idea of a community garden. The garden has continued to thrive, providing a great community focus, a place to grow healthy produce and a place to demonstrate to children the value and techniques of sustainably growing fresh fruit and vegetables. Tullimbar Village cm.king@internode.on.net rden/ Access: Open to Tullimbar residents only Activities: Working bees gardeners are contacted prior to activity 9 Community Gardens in the Illawarra

10 Kiama area Kiama Community Garden Planning for the Kiama Community Garden s design and management began when 60 community members attended a public meeting on 29th July The design is based on permaculture principles and the first plantings were made in October Their mission is to grow a sustainable, organic garden that is an inclusive space of creativity and learning which inspires a sense of community. They do not have individually managed beds; the garden shares all the work and all the harvest. Morning tea is an essential element of every working bee. It is a social gathering to which gardeners contribute and which they enjoy. All are welcome and invited to get involved in this exciting garden with fruit trees, shared beds and community engagement. Havilah Place, Kiama, Adjacent to Blue Haven Village (Joe) kiamagardens@gmail.com den / (Crop swap) Activities: Working bee on Wednesday and Saturday, 9.00am-afternoon. Kiama and Gerringong Crop and Swap on second Saturday of month. 10 Community Gardens in the Illawarra