JOIN THE ILLAWARRA EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL!
We’ve got some exciting news! Food Fairness Illawarra will host the second Illawarra Edible Garden Trail on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November 2024 from 10am-3pm. This event is sponsored by Gilly’s Kitchen Garden.
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!
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 here.
Gardens will be open across Wollongong Local Government.
EVENT DETAILS
What Illawarra Edible Garden Trail When Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th November 2024 10am – 3pm Where Helensburgh to Windang Who Community members across the Illawarra interested in local food growing Cost Adult (17+) – $25
Kids (16 and under) – $5
Concession (students, pensioners)- $15
Adult (17+) Single Garden Visit - $5
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.
2024 – GARDEN PROFILES
Northern Illawarra (Helensburgh - Bulli)
Otford / Gilly’s Kitchen Garden
Market Garden / Sat & SunSunny / shady / veggies / herbs / fruit / chickens / compost / worm farm
Outdoor classroom with student plots comprising traditional annual beds and food forests. Native garden, creek micro-climate, polytunnel, irrigation system, composting options and much more.
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.
Stanwell Tops / Reece Turbin
Backyard garden (mostly full sun) / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Food Forest / Biodynamic, Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm
Residential backyard where every plant serves a purpose by either generating food or providing habitat for local ecology. We grow fruit and vegetables and keep a small flock of chickens.
Stawell Park / Kieran Tapsell
Backyard garden (mostly shaded), Coastal air exposed, Native bush foodsFruit / Bushcare regeneration / Compost
Nursery for native trees and bush care.
Coledale / Coledale Public school
School Garden / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Compost / Worm farm
Coledale Public school Garden is an organic garden. We have chickens, a food forest and no dig garden beds where we grow seasonal vegetables and herbs.
Austinmer / Belinda Baccarini
Coastal Verge garden / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Native bush foods / Spray / Compost / Worm Farms
Verge garden beds under powerlines, in the full sun. Bird friendly verge beds with gum trees, banksias, herbs, some vegetables, edible flowers and beautiful flowers for the butterflies and bees.
Central North (Woonona - Wollongong)
Thirroul / Noah Fineberg
Raised beds (sun & shade) / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Microgreens / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Worm farm
I have a mix of raised garden beds, pots, troughs, and garden beds that I made using a version of Hugelkultur method. I did it a lot myself with some help from dad too.
Thirroul / Karen Charlton
Backyard garden (mostly shaded) / Sunday ONLYRaised beds / Herbs / Vegetables / Chickens / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost
Raised beds in a backyard. Started growing in June 2024.
Thirroul / Michael David
Backyard garden (sun & shade) / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Raised Beds / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost
A mixture of outside and covered garden beds growing a variety of vegetables for personal consumption, maintaining a habitat garden for local creatures and balancing protecting enough of our produce for ourselves.
Woonona / Jorid Nordaker
Raised beds / Saturday ONLYHerbs, Fruit / No spray / Compost
Pot garden amongst tamarillo trees, snd a drive way fruit tree garden.
Bulli / Suzy Pickles
Backyard garden (mostly full sun) / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm / Chickens
Suburban quarter acre block that has been cultivated in line with permaculture principles with a range of native plants (for biodiversity), edible garden zones (herbs, raised garden beds, on-ground veggie patch, an orchard, verge garden) as well as chickens and bees. We established the garden in 2020 and in 2023 collected data on our inputs, outputs etc, and discovered that we had grown 500 kg of food in a year!
Woonona / Woonona Community Garden
Community garden / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Bees / Compost / Worm farm
We are a 4 year old community garden using crop rotation, organic matter applications and hot compost to improve our soil fertility. We have 30 vegetable beds and about 50 fruit trees. Building community connections and education is an important part of our ethos.
Central South (Wollongong - Unanderra)
Figtree / Anne Stephany
Verge & Community garden / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm
Community garden in the caravan park, growing vegetables, herbs, some flowers.
Figtree / Kathryn Morgan
Verge, Balcony & Backyard garden (mostly shaded) / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Compost / Worm farm
Very mixed suburban “no mow” garden featuring some food, lots of habitat and pollinator friendly flowers, all under a mature eucalyptus canopy.
Mount Kembla / Retro Roast Coffee Van
Raised beds / Sat & SunHerbs / Vegetables / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost
Our sunny Grow & Share Garden grows herbs, vegetables & flowers for our customers to pick while enjoying a coffee with a fantastic view & lots of Fairy Wren birds fluttering around when visiting historical Mount Kembla.
Mount Kembla / April Sampson-Kelly
Verge garden & Food forest / Sat & SunHerbs / Nuts / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Microgreens / Geese / Permaculture principles, No-dig beds / Syntropic / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm / Chickens / Liquid manure / Fly farm
Mature food forest research site more than 150 edible and useful plants including bush tucker. Established 1993. Intensive growing systems with many layers.
Unanderra / Ben Davies
Verge garden / Saturday ONLYHerbs, Vegetables, Fruit / Spray-free / Compost
Native Australian and European food forrest. Front yard/verge. North, north/west facing full sun.
Southern Illawarra (Unanderra - Windang/Dapto)
Port Kembla / Berbel Franse
Verge & Backyard garden (mostly full sun) / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm
Food forest in the making!
Port Kembla / Kemblawarra Public School
School garden / Saturday ONLYHerbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / Compost / Worm farm
Growing since 2019, started life as several no dig veggie beds, our school garden has grown to encompass more habitat, pollinator friendly plantings, a greenhouse and now a ‘botanic wonderland’ of native vegetation. We harvest bananas regularly, edible flowers and cook from the garden.
Berkeley / Berkeley Public School
School Garden / Saturday OnlyHerb / Vegetables /Fruit / Permaculture principles / Compost
Our little garden is the heart of our school. Students grow food and care for the space once a week with our garden teacher. The food harvested is a central part of our cooking classes held in the kitchen. Started growing in 2014 as part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program.
Berkeley / Lisa Redwood
Backyard sunny garden / Sat & SunRaised beds / Food forest / Native bush foods / Front yard garden / Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Compost / Worm farm
Sunny front yard garden with raised garden beds growing veggies, berries and herbs and a food forest, started growing in 2022.
Cringila / Zoe King
Coastal backyard garden w/ raised beds (mostly full sun) / Sunday ONLYFood forest / Native bush foods / Herbs / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Permaculture principles / Spray-free / Compost
We have a Wicking bed garden using recycled materials which grow a range of annuals and perennials. We have some native food plants as well as citrus and fruit trees. Our 9 chickens free range through the garden. We aim to apply permaculture principles throughout our property. Established 2021.
Dapto / Dana Mertens
Backyard garden (mostly full sun) / Sunday ONLYHerbs / Nuts / Vegetables / Fruit / Chickens / Microgreens / Permaculture principles / No-dig beds / Spray-free / Compost / Worm farm / Bokashi bin
An edible garden using permaculture, organic and regenerative principles. A working urban farm, that feeds the household and others.
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 16 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. Please click through to event link for ticket prices.
Buy TicketsWHY JOIN THE ILLAWARRA EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL?
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.
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.
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!