JOIN THE ILLAWARRA EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL!

Otford / Greg

Raised 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.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible

Otford / Gilly’s Kitchen Garden

Sunny & 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.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible

Otford / Otford Public School

Raised 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Stanwell Park / Kieran

Fruit / Bushcare regeneration / Compost / Native bush foods / Coastal air exposed

Nursery for native trees and bush care.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Austinmer / Sarah

Raised 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.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Thirroul / Thirroul Community Garden

Herbs / 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

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Thirroul / Warren & Karen

Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / Chickens / No-dig beds / Raised Bed Gardening / Compost / Worm farm

Year 2, learning as we go loving our sunny verge garden and being tested by our partly shaded backyard.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Bulli / Waniora Public School

Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost

Waniora School Garden has evolved over the last decade and contains multiple ground level beds growing annual crops in full sun. We have a meeting area with a teepee “campfire” for gatherings surrounded by an assortment of fruiting trees (native and non-native). Our school fruit and vegetable scraps are collected by students and composted in two large open bays.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible. It is flat but there is grass to cross and it is covered in woodchip mulch.

Bulli / Bulli Public School

Vegetables / Herbs, Flowers / Bees / Native Bush Foods / Native Plants / Permaculture principles / Raised Bed Gardening / Container Gardening (i.e. in pots & planters) / Compost / Worm farm

Bulli Public School Garden contains a wonderful range of herbs, vegetables, flowers and native plants (including bush tucker). We have an extensive compost and worm farm system, servicing all of our vegetable garden beds. Our compost utilises our school food, garden and paper waste, and is managed by our enthusiastic students.

The garden is mostly flat surfaced however if there has been lots of recent rain the grounds are muddy.

Woonona / Oliver Risi

Vegetables / Herbs / Flowers / Spray-free / Raised Bed Gardening / Container Gardening (i.e. in pots & planters) / Compost / Worm farm / Green bin

What did the big flower say to the little flower… “Hey, bud”

Inspired by my Italian grandfather’s gardening, this space continues to grow by the season. Five raised beds with irrigation, each 40cm high, roughly 11 square metres of growing space, alongside a collection of pots and planters. Now in my 5th season, last year’s harvest reached 93kgs of produce.

The garden is wheelchair accessible with assistance. Entry is via a rolling gutter and across grass, so a wheelchair would need to be pushed. The garden is fully viewable, though the ground is gravel and may be a little tight.

Towradgi / Penny

Herbs / 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Towradgi / Darren

Herbs / 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

East Corrimal / Kath Gadd

Coastal Air Exposed / Flowers / Native Bush Foods / Native Plants / Spray-free / Raised Bed Gardening / Container Gardening (i.e. in pots & planters) / Green bin

Native habitat garden in East corrimal under the canopy of 3 indigenous Eucalyptus paniculata. This garden consists of a frog pond, native lawn areas, birdbaths and an internal courtyard style garden between two dwellings. The native plantings cater for pollinators and local bird species and my large trees house possums and bats.

Corrimal / Corrimal Public School

Permaculture 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Corrimal / Virginie

Native Habitat / Native Plants / Vegetables / Fruit / Flowers / Permaculture principles / Raised Bed Gardening / Container Gardening (i.e. in pots & planters) / Compost / Green bin / Closed Loop System

We have lived here for over 50 years and our garden has evolved with us. We used to have chickens (for 28 years!), a pool and now we just grow what we want with sustainability in mind.

The garden is not completely Wheelchair Accessible. It is level and has a long driveway. However, there are no sealed paths throughout the garden, as it is lawn between the borders.

Tarrawanna / Tarrawanna Public School

Food forest / Native Bush Foods / Native Habitat / Permaculture Garden / Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / Nuts / Flowers / Bees / Native Plants / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Biodynamic / Spray-free / Compost

Our Living Classroom permaculture garden is an integral part of our educational experience. Year 3 students, as garden ambassadors, engage in practical activities like soil building, water saving, and composting, cultivating a variety of seasonal vegetables and herbs year-round. Our garden also features over 30 fruit trees, including bananas, citrus, macadamias, and more, creating a vibrant, hands-on learning environment for all.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Balgownie / Bally Patch

Herbs / 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Fairy Meadow / Brian and Lisa

Biodynamic / 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Keiraville / UOW Food Warriors Programme

Vegetables / 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Mount Kembla / Retro Roast Coffee Van

Raised 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Mount Kembla / Tye Purnell

Bees / 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.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Cordeaux Heights / Elaine

Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / Flowers / Native Plants / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Worm farm / Green bin

We have a steep north facing terraced backyard garden, we dug out the grass of the middle terrace during the COVID lockdowns and started a veggie patch. We have planted fruit trees in the steep top section.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible, the property is steep and has stairs.

Mount Kembla / April Sampson-Kelly and Paul Kelly

Food forest / Native bush foods / Herbs / Nuts / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Syntropic / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm

Intensively layered mature food forest with recycled and reclaimed materials. Designed on Permaculture principles for aspect, energy sectors and zones of use and need. Keyline irrigation channels and passive solar.

Half an acre of this property is Wheelchair Accessible

Berkley / Lisa Redwood

Native Bush Foods / Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / Flowers / Native Plants / Permaculture principles / Raised Bed Gardening / Compost / Worm farm

Front yard garden with four raised garden beds surrounded by fruit trees. We have a herb garden, berry patch. 2 compost bins and a work farm also. Started growing in 2022. The garden was designed by permaculture garden designer Narelle Happ.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Lake Heights / Alex Sherley

Food forest / Native bush foods / Herbs / 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.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible. 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

Herbs / 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.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible. Due to the steep terrain, the farm is not suitable for those with moderate mobility issues.

Port Kembla / Milo Kelly

Herbs / 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.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Lake Heights / Maria D'Angelo

Vegetables / Herbs / Flowers / Native Bush Foods / Native Plants / Spray-free / Raised Bed Gardening / Compost

I started three years ago and I utilised the front garden as it has lots of sun. I have a mixture of herbs and veggies and I encourage the neighbours to come and collect whatever they need as there is more than i can use. A front garden is a good idea because you get to chat to the neighbours and it becomes a bit of a meeting place.

This garden is partly Wheelchair Accessible. The yard is grass so access might be tricky, but as the garden is at the front of the property, and is on a corner you can see everything from the road.

Oak Flats / Oak Flats Community Garden

Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm

Established 2024 – 10 raised garden beds, greenhouse, compost bays and fruit trees. Open to the whole community.

This garden is NOT Wheelchair Accessible.

Albion Park / Mount Terry Public School

Food Forest / Permaculture Garden / Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / Nuts / Flowers / Bees / Native Bush Foods / Spray-free / Raised Bed Gardening / Compost / Green bin

Permaculture style School Garden established in 2011 with raised wicking beds, 100m long dry creek bed flanked by native bush foods, citrus and apple orchards and native stingless bees.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.

Shell Cove / Shell Cove Community Garden

Vegetables / Fruit / Herbs / Flowers / Native Bush Foods / Pot plants / Permaculture principles / Biodynamic / Spray-free / Raised Bed Gardening / Container Gardening / Compost / Worm farm

A Community garden in the heart of Shell Cove, commenced in August 2019, with about 40 members. We use above-ground gardens because we expect to move to a permanent site “some time soon.” Without fences, the concept of an Open Garden is somewhat moot – we are always open – though recently we have installed cages for some of our garden beds, to give plants a chance to reach maturity before opening them to be picked by the public.

This garden is Wheelchair Accessible.