VEGETABLE plots are in high demand at Geelong West Community Garden where the waiting list almost outweighs the number of members.
Nestled in the heart of inner-city Geelong West less than two blocks from iconic Pakington St, the garden is a natural haven featuring 34 members’ allotments.
The garden’s 20-year veteran member Rosemary Nugent says interest in community gardens has surged in the last decade thanks to a growing interest in sustainability.
“People are concerned about climate change. They want slow food. They want food that’s organic. It’s local, fresh and seasonal and it’s also cheaper.”
Geelong West’s garden has been operating since 1984, making it one of Victoria’s oldest. From the garden’s front entrance on Autumn St, a large leafy tree hides the organic refuge amid the concrete jungle of Geelong West.
Neat pathways weave between members’ plots, while fresh tomatoes, leafy greens, pumpkins and chillis stand out, asking to be picked.
“It’s very tranquil here even in the middle of a suburban area,” Rosemary says. “It’s very peaceful and we have good facilities.”
A covered communal kitchen area and a storage shed towards the back of the block sit next to a rear entrance and a car-park. The sheltered kitchen area has a gorgeous pizza oven, a barbeque, a stove and a wooden table to seat a large group.
Rosemary says members enjoy socialising and sharing food here the regular gatherings throughout the year. Members are welcome to visit the garden at any time to use the garden’s communal facilities and tend to their plots on an informal basis. “It is great to have a community garden where people can come and learn from each other, garden
together and help each other,” Rosemary says. “Sometimes we share seedlings or produce on an informal basis if we have extra.”
Quarterly meetings and working bees offer a chance for the group to formally organise and plan. Members are mostly Geelong West residents but also come from surrounding suburbs. “Early on there were more older people, but in recent years we’ve had many families with younger kids and people of all different nationalities join us,” Rosemary says.
The garden has strong roots in the surrounding community, welcoming school students and the general population for workshops teaching skills including gardening, mosaics and bread-making. Rosemary says children benefit from learning how vegetables grow.
“You don’t just go to the supermarket and buy them, or even worse, they don’t come in cans,” she laughs. “The kids are very proud of themselves when they can identify
veggies that are growing.”
TORQUAY’S Danawa Community Garden’s overall aims and values are similar to Geelong West’s but it operates in a very different manner.
Like Geelong West, Danawa is a tranquil space hidden behind lush trees, but instead of having individual allotments, its gardens are entirely communal. A beautiful mosaic sign marks the entry to the garden, which is wedged between tennis courts and an entry road on Torquay’s Spring Creek Reserve.
Fruit trees, an open grass space and compost plots share the area with luscious mandala, or circular, garden beds hosting deliciouslooking vegetables.
Like Geelong West, Danawa has an undercover meeting area and a pizza oven. A greenroom hosts an extensive list of tiny plant crops preparing to be planted or picked. Vegetables growing include sweet potato, spinach, beetroot, carrots, snowpeas and a range of herbs and Chinese vegetables.
Member John Harrison says when the garden started about nine years ago it had some individual plots but the group has since evolved to prefer sharing the workload and the bounty. “We found people went away on holidays and plots were left so we decided we’d just have communal plots and everyone can work on them,” John says.
Member Jeremy Rugless says the group dynamic is easy-going and decisions are made without conflict. Regular work at least twice a week is essential to maintain the garden, with a core group of about twelve members visiting the garden regularly, and a further 25 members attending less often. The garden hosts twice-monthly food swaps and regular “pick and plant” days.
Nina Travis says members have a range of reasons for joining Danawa. “It’s a matter of getting out, seeing something new, meeting new people and having more space.” Torquay’s broader community gets involved with Danawa’s annual Winter Solstice and Harvest Festival, with familyfriendly activities including dance and music performances.
Jeremy says regular members nearly always take food home from the garden’s pick and plant days. “For half the year, regular members are having three to four serves a week of veggies from the garden,” he says.
Where is your nearest community garden?
ANGLESEA COMMUNITY GARDEN
5 McMillan Street, Anglesea.
For further information, please phone 5263 2116
AIREY’S INLET COMMUNITY GARDEN
2 Fraser Drive, Airey’s Inlet.
For further information, please phone Terrence on 0438 533 346 or email thof4@bigpond.com
BARWON HEADS COMMUNITY ARTS GARDEN
Barwon Heads Reserve,
38 Geelong Road,
Barwon Heads.
For further information please visit http://www.bhartsgarden.com/
DANAWA COMMUNITY GARDEN, TORQUAY
Spring Creek Reserve,
Torquay.
For further information, please email perryagmills@gmail.com
GEELONG WEST COMMUNITY GARDEN
129 Autumn Street,
Geelong West.
For further information please visit http://www.geelongwestcommunitygarden.org/
LORNE DAISY AND OLIVE COMMUNITY GARDEN
Figtree Community House,
16 Mount Joy Parade, Lorne.
For further information, please phone 5289 2972
POINT LONSDALE COMMUNITY GARDEN
2 Nelson Road, Pt Lonsdale.
For further information, please phone Sarah on 5258 0814 or email sarah.wynn@bch.org.au
WINCHELSEA COMMUNITY GARDEN
51 Hesse Street, Winchelsea.
For further information, please phone Virginia on 5267 2866
