Volunteers have taken a tract of land at Wallace Park behind the Noosaville Library and the Leisure Centre and created a wonderland of fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs and trees that make the garden a delight to nurture or just sit and enjoy.
Noosa Community Garden is now one year old and its committee thinks it is time to celebrate its extraordinary growth with an official opening on Sunday, May 7, at 11am.
“We just want to acknowledge Noosa Council, our friends, sponsors and the community for the support they’ve given us,” president, Junee Copeman, said when she and committee member, Erika Hackett, met Noosa Today.
She added the invitation to the opening which will start at 11am was also being extended to the public.
“We’re planning a barbecue along with many other activities including the planting of some significant and famous strawberries and having students from Sunshine Beach State School showcasing some micro herbs. There will be a treasure hunt for the children, a tasting table and plants for sale plus a raffle.
Said Erika: “When we started there was just a bare patch of land. Initially, we had help from students from the Australian Industry Trade College at Maroochydore.
“It was work experience for them to learn a skill and to spend some time out of the classroom. They were given jobs and the garden team helped them.
“Since then, our numbers have grown to 54 and there’s room for more. Our membership fee is $25 a year.
“We are hoping to get families involved. You don’t have to know anything about gardening. Anyone can come in and join us. Some schools have asked if they can bring their children along.”
The garden is quietly establishing a presence among the other community support centres at Wallace Park.
Erika said, “Men’s Shed members have been very generous with help. The Endeavour Group visits often and Noosaville Library has invited us to run workshops. Meals on Wheels save its kitchen scraps and the Leisure Centre donates coffee grounds from its cafe for the compost bin!”
The social side of the community garden is fostered just as much as the plants.
“Emphasis is on enjoying what you do when you come here,” said June. “We get together every Friday to garden as a group and each month on a Wednesday afternoon we celebrate our successes, bringing along something to share and to get to know each other a little bit more. We call it ‘Wine and Weed.’
“Gardening is fun. We wouldn’t want to come along and not have fun.”
