JOIN THE ILLAWARRA EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL!
Now in its third year, the Illawarra Edible Garden Trail is reaching south from Helensburgh to Shell Cove showcasing backyard veggie patches, crop swap groups, schools, community gardens, and hobby farms across Wollongong and Shellharbour.
This years trail will take place over the weekend of Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd November from 10am-3pm across Wollongong and Shellharbour!
WHAT IS AN EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL?
An edible garden trail is a weekend where gardeners of all levels and in all environments open their front gate to the general public to meander through. It’s all about connecting budding gardeners, well-rooted growers and sticky-beakers, to share all the growing tricks and tips for different environments.
The Trail is an opportunity to ask all those weird and wacky questions, how to raise chooks, what does it take to build soil, how do you choose the right varieties for your garden, what about endemic native foods, how to build the right structure fit for purpose, what grows well in shady spots, how to plant dwarf fruit tree or just simply asking, what is this weed!? And maybe, is it edible? Don't miss this golden opportunity to connect with your neighbours and learn how to build food security across the Illawarra!
EVENT DETAILS
What Illawarra Edible Garden Trail When Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd November 2025 from 10am-3pm Where Helensburgh to Shellharbour Who Community members across the Illawarra interested in local food growing Cost Adult (18+) – $25,
Concession (students, pensioners) - $15,
Kids (17 and under) – FREE,
Adult (17+) Single Garden Visit - $5,
Pay What You Feel
Please note for attendees visiting gardens over the Saturday and Sunday of the Trail we will have a roaming photographer and videographer. If for any reason you do not wish to be filmed or photographed would you please be able to make that known to the videographee and the photographer who will be apparent with large amounts of camera gear. Otherwise content taken on the day will be used in promotional material for consequent events and marketing needs.
Buy Tickets
Tickets can only be purchased for both days, not individual days. If you would like to visit only one garden you can purchase an individual garden ticket for $5. Whole weekend tickets will give you access to all gardens. People under 17 are free, but please still register them so we can keep record of attendees. Funds raised from tickets sales cover the costs of delivering the event. Garden addresses and a map will be emailed to ticket holders one week prior to the event. Please purchase your tickets via Humanitix. Tickets will require collection prior to attendance, more details to come. TICKETS AVAILABLE SOON Please email Emily at gardentrail@foodfairnessillawarra.org.au if you'd like to be on the mailing list when tickets go live.
Open Your Garden !
We’ll be showcasing ALL types of growing spaces. The trail is for anyone growing food in their backyard, on a balcony, verge, community space or even window sill. Have a read of our Host FAQ's and then take 5 minutes to tell us about your growing space.
Gardens will be open across Wollongong and Shellharbour Local Government.
2025 – GARDEN PROFILES
Northern Illawarra (Otford - Thirroul)
Otford / Gilly’s Kitchen Garden
Backyard garden / Market Garden (mostly full sun) / Sat & SunSunny & shady zones / food forests / Native bush foods / nuts / veggies / herbs / fruit / hot compost / worm farms / Weed tea & nests /
Protected within the Otford Valley our 2,500sqm property has over 100 fruit trees and large terraced garden beds with a northerly aspect that provides an excellent growing environment all year round.
Otford / Greg Cook
Backyard garden (mostly shaded) / Sat & SunRaised beds / Herbs / Nuts / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Microgreens / Bio Intensive / Compost / Worm Farms
Bio Intensive organic vegetable garden. Closed system gardening focused on soil heath. Seed saving garden.
Otford / Otford Public School
Shady school garden / Sat & SunRaised beds / Coastal air exposed / Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost /
The Otford Public School garden proudly grows a variety of herbs, veg and flowers, along with dwarf fruit trees that are establishing well in our shady environment. Otford School has a rich history of growing food and flowers. Children select crops on the basis of what they want to eat and on the recommendation of prior years’ successful seedling cultivation supported by Gilly’s Kitchen Garden. The children learn about our unique growing environment in the micro-climate of Otford, and discover the benefits of permaculture design. The Otford School Garden is the result of the children’s hard work throughout the year participating in our weekly Garden Club. Come enjoy our garden and fall in love with the magic of our school and community as we host you for rest, food and play.
Stanwell Park / Kieran Tapsell
Backyard garden (mostly shaded) / Sat & SunFruit / Bushcare regeneration / Compost / Native bush foods / Coastal air exposed
Nursery for native trees and bush care.
Austinmer / Sarah and James Renwick
Backyard garden (mostly shaded) / Saturday ONLYRaised beds / Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Bees
A few raised beds with herbs and veggies, young citrus trees and a couple of native fruit trees. We have 2 compost bins and a Flow Hive. Being quite shaded, the growing conditions are not optimal for veggies but we still manage to produce some interesting salads and treats.
Thirroul / Thirroul Community Garden
Community Garden / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm / Bokashi bin / Weed tea / Cold compost
Established community garden, a totally shared space. Very social. Food production, bush care, stream-watch, and workshops
Central North Wollongong (Bulli - Mt Ousley)
Towradgi / Penny Claiborne
Verge & Backyard garden (sun & shade) w/ Food forest & Native Bush Foods / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm / Green bin / Raised beds
A garden that features a lot of variety; with young fruit trees, raised vegetable beds, and vertical growing. This is surrounded by a substantial mostly endemic native garden started in late 2023. The block also ha a shaded area planted with Illawarra rainforest plants & native edibles.
Towradgi / Darren Patterson
Verge / Backyard garden (half full sun & half shaded) / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Nuts / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm
Started a small veggie patch in which I would bury my kitchen scraps and its grown into a full yard forest. I started around 2022.
Corrimal / Corrimal Public School
School garden / Saturday ONLYPermaculture principles / Spray-free / Herbs / Vegetables / Compost / Worm farm
Our school garden is a vibrant, hands-on learning space where students take the lead in planting, tending, and harvesting. With a beautiful variety of herbs and vegetables, the garden fosters responsibility, teamwork, and a deep connection to nature and healthy eating.
Balgownie / Bally Patch
Community garden / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Bees / Edible flowers / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Compost
Perennials, flowers, natives, bees and herbs support biodiversity alongside four shared communal no dig beds and private allotments. Nestled in with cosy seating is the well visited community library. It’s the 11th year of building community and capacity.
Fairy Meadow / Brian and Lisa Wellings
Backyard garden (mostly full sun) / Sat & SunBiodynamic / Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Bees / Compost / Chickens / Green bin
Modest sized back garden that has been a designed on the go with plenty of things to eat whilst also having enough free space for our chickens to roam, dogs to play with the chickens and bees to pollinate the veggies. We have our “BIG PIG” compost bin that loves all our scraps and turns it into wonderful nutritious compost.
West Wollongong (Kieraville - Farmborough Heights)
Keiraville / UOW Food Warriors Programme
Raised Garden Beds / Sat ONLYVegetables / Permaculture Principles / Worm farm
This garden was started in 2025 as a learning experience for UOW students to learn about growing food. Claudia Walters from Gilly’s Kitchen Garden in Otford has developed and run the Food Warriors programme.
Mount Kembla / Retro Roast Coffee Van
Community Garden / Native Bush Foods / Sat & SunRaised beds / Native bush foods / Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Edible flowers / Compost
A serene garden space overlooking the hills & escarpment whilst enjoying a coffee. We grow mostly edible flowers to decorate our pancakes, leafy greens & herbs to pick.
Mount Kembla / Tye Purnell
Verge & Backyard garden (mostly full sun & partly shaded) - Native Bush Foods & habitat garden / Sat & SunBees / Native plants / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost / Green bin
A garden designed to support wildlife of all types from pollinators and small invertebrates right up to possums and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos. When wandering through the garden you can expect to see various insect hotels and ground nesting bee sites, a natural pond system comprising of 2 ponds connected by a 5m flowing creek, a couple of active ‘Bowers’ built by the resident Satin Bowerbirds and a large variety of native plants including some bush foods.
South-East Wollongong (Berkley - Port Kembla)
Lake Heights / Alex Sherley
Backyard & Verge Gardens (mostly full sun) - Food forest / Native bush foods / Sat & SunHerbs / Nuts / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm / Green bin
Open sunny yard on rich volcanic clay with old and young fruit trees plus vegetables. We have many local edible native ground covers, shrubs & trees, and also have a green house to propagate more fruit trees.
Access to the backyard is via a flat concreted driveway. The backyard is mostly flat with concrete access paths throughout. People with reduced mobility are welcome to park in the driveway. Our home is on the 65 bus route, with a bus stop right outside our house. We have an outhouse toilet available for visitors to use. There is a small ledge/step into the outhouse.
Warrawong / Green Connect Farm
Market garden / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Bees / Pigs / lambs / Permaculture principles/ Organic Worm farm / Chickens / Livestock / Green bin / Chipping/mulching
Green Connect Farm is a not-for-profit social enterprise helping people with barriers to employment and providing environmental education. The 11-acre urban farm grows organic vegetables and herbs to sell to the local community, along with chickens, bees, sheep and pigs. Due to the steep terrain, the farm is not suitable for those with moderate mobility issues.
Port Kembla / Milo Kelly
Backyard garden (mostly full sun) / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Compost
Sunny, 2-year old veggie garden on a volcanic hill. Still developing soil and improving processes, influenced by modern sustainable market garden practices.
South-West Illawarra (Unanderra - Albion Park)
Southern Illawarra (Shellharbour & Shell Cove)
Oak Flats / Oak Flats Community Garden
Community garden / Sat & SunHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm
Established 2024 – 10 raised garden beds, greenhouse, compost bays and fruit trees. Open to the whole community.
WHY JOIN THE ILLAWARRA EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL?
Seasonality
Lastly, the Edible Garden Trail will highlight the importance of seasonality and educate participants on seasonal produce in the Illawarra. Seasonal eating refers to eating fruit and vegetables that are ‘in season’ or at the peak of their freshness and flavour during a specific time of the year. In-season food is better for you, tastier and cheaper; it requires less travel and less controlled, artificial environments to grow in!
Food Security
Localised food production is becoming increasingly important. Forecasts by the CSIRO predict Sydney’s food production from within the basin could drop from 20% to 6% by 2031. If Sydney was cut-off we would have a two days supply of fresh food. The Trail offers the opportunity into an alternative, more resilient food system based on backyard growing.
Diversity
It’s a chance to deepen our understanding of our local environment, including native foods that have been lost to urbanisation; the Illawarra has a flavourful spectrum of native foods such as the Illawarra Plum that would have contributed greatly to the D’harawal diet. The Trail is an opportunity to strengthen community connections and bring food production, of both native and non-native foods, back to the area.