Local Community Gardens
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. Learn more about how you can get involved by checking out the information about community gardens below
Community Gardens play a key role in delivering on a number of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aimed at protecting the planet and ending hunge
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Community Gardens in Wollongong
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 meetups 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.
Access: Open by demand for public and volunteers. Contact for access.
Activities: Working bee – first Sunday of the month 10 am – 3 pm. Lunch at 1 pm – bring something you make.
Location: North Wollongong PCYC, via Ajax Avenue
Contact:
T: 0424 241 881
FB: www.facebook.com/wastenotfruitandvegswap/
Bally Patch (Balgownie Community Garden)
All are welcome to come along to the beautiful Balgownie Community Garden! The garden design is a combination of the communal food forest and communal vegetable beds, as well as six privately rented allotments. All ages and abilities are welcome.
Access: Open to the public
Activities: Third Sunday of every month meetups (9 am) involving light gardening, shared food and good chats. In summer, the garden host twilight meetups. An end-of-year party is hosted in December each year including a BBQ and drinks to thank all their dedicated members.
Location: Lot 21, 5a Church St, Balgownie
Contact:
T: 0413 862 865
E: balgowniecommunitygarden@gmail.com
W: https://ballyspatch.wordpress.com/
FB: www.facebook.com/ballyspatch
Dapto Community Farm
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. Full facilities are available including 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!
Access: Open to public
Activities: Contact for more details.
Location: 29 Darkes Rd, Dapto
Contact:
E: daptocommunityfarm@gmail.com
W: http://www.daptocommunityfarm.com/
FB: www.facebook.com/DaptoCommunityFarm/
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!
Access: Open to the public
Activities: Weekly Community lunch – Wednesdays, 11.30am (during school term).
Location: Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre
Contact:
T: 4285 3715
FB: www.facebook.com/bellambineighbourhoodcentre/
Unanderra Community Centre Garden 
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.
Access: Open by demand Monday-Wednesday. Call for access.
Activities: Green Thumbs Gardening Group, Tuesday 9.30am-12.30pm.
Location: Princes Hwy and Factory Rd, Unanderra
Contact:
T: 4271 2213
W: www.ufara.org.au/ourgroups.html
FB: www.facebook.com/unanderracc/
Todd and Bent Street Community Garden
What was once a wasteland in Warrawong has now 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’.
Access: Open to the public
Activities: Working bee Thursday 8.30am-2pm (open to the public).
Location: No.1 Todd St, Warrawong (behind Block 5)
Contact:
T: 42764775 (Phoenix)
W: www.wollongongcommunitycentres.org.au/warrawong.html
Green House Park Community Garden
The Greenhouse Park Community Garden was established in 2013 to educate volunteers on 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 some good quality produce to eat.
Access: Volunteer access only. Contact for access.
Activities: Working bee on Mondays and Tuesdays. Contact for more details.
Location: Springhill road, Wollongong
Contact:
T: 0418 420 915 (Mike)
E: mmckeon@wollongong.nsw.gov.au
W: www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/services/sustainability/Pages/Greenhouse-Park.aspx
FB: www.facebook.com/cityofwollongong
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 the cultural groups a place to socialise with each other and the wider community.
Access: Open to the multicultural community. Contact for initial access.
Activities: Cultural gardening groups and much more. Contact for more details.
Location: St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Wollongong
Contact:
T: 4229 7566
FB: www.facebook.com/Friendship-Garden-825871014148733/
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!
Access: Open to visitors and members. Contact for membership.
Activities: Working Bee, Sunday from 9 am.
Location: Corner Lawrence Hargrave Drive & High Street, Thirroul.
Contact:
E: thirroulgardeners@gmail.com
W: www.thirroulgardeners.wordpress.com/
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.
Access: Open to the public
Activities: Working bee, first Sunday of the month, 9 am – 11 am.
Location: 328 Princes Hwy, Bulli
Contact:
W: www.bullicc.org.au/bulli-communitygarden
FB: www.facebook.com/gardenbulli
Community Gardens in Shellharbour
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.
Access: Open to the public.
Activities: Working Bee, Thursday, 1pm-5pm.
Location: Corner of Wattle Rd and Carrington St, Barrack Heights
Contact:
T: 0413055695 (Ross)
W: http://bhcommunitygarden.blogspot.com.au
FB: www.facebook.com/BarrackHeightsCommunityGarden/
Albion Park Community Garden
Since 2012, the Albion Park Community Garden is a place for passionate gardeners with a desire to garden, a place to meet with 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 who established the garden 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.
Access: Open to the public
Activities: Working Bee, every Tuesday, 9am-12pm.
Location: Albion Park Community Centre, Russell Street, Albion Park
Contact:
T: 0413055695 (Ross)
FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/664274893607876/
Tullimbar Community Garden
Tullimbar Village residents first started moving into the new houses during 2008 and by 2009 there was interest amongst them to create a community garden. The Tullimbar Community Garden is a great example of new housing development 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.
Access: Open to Tullimar residents only.
Activities: Working bees – gardeners are contacted prior to activity.
Location: Tullimbar Village
Contact:
T: 0428 881 626
FB: www.facebook.com/TullimbarCommunityGarden
Community Gardens in Kiama
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 2009. The design is based on permaculture principles and the first plantings were made in October 2010. 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.
Access: Open to the public
Activities: Working Bee on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9.30am-afternoon. Kiama and Gerringong Crop and Swap on second Saturday of the month.
Location: Havilah Place, Kiama, Adjacent to Blue Haven Village
Contact:
T: 0417066896 (Joe)
FB: www.facebook.com/KiamaCommunityGarden
FB: www.facebook.com/groups/734051306672769/ (Crop swap)
To view or print ‘Illawarra’s Guide to Local Community Gardens‘ please click on the link below:
