How we started out
Steve Teding van Berkhout
The community garden was officially formed in November 2010 at a public meeting held to gauge community interest, following earlier negotiations with Australian National University Kioloa Coastal Campus (ANU KCC) about the use of university property as a possible site for the garden.
ANU KCC subsequently provided a 57m x 57m vermin-proof fenced plot, with access to irrigation from a nearby dam. The ANUKCC Manager, Steve Teding van Berkhout has provided MCG with on-going advice and support about best-practice approaches to the establishment of a thriving community garden and we now have over 70 financial members, ranging in age from 98 to 4 years.
MCG serves as a place where the local community can grow inexpensive, healthy produce, working the soil and harvesting crops together, facilitating the development of an inclusive, caring and diverse community. Gardeners learn from each other, sharing their skills, employing sustainable gardening methods, particularly those that are low-input, highly productive and water wise.
ANU KCC subsequently provided a 57m x 57m vermin-proof fenced plot, with access to irrigation from a nearby dam. The ANUKCC Manager, Steve Teding van Berkhout has provided MCG with on-going advice and support about best-practice approaches to the establishment of a thriving community garden and we now have over 70 financial members, ranging in age from 98 to 4 years.
MCG serves as a place where the local community can grow inexpensive, healthy produce, working the soil and harvesting crops together, facilitating the development of an inclusive, caring and diverse community. Gardeners learn from each other, sharing their skills, employing sustainable gardening methods, particularly those that are low-input, highly productive and water wise.
Some of our beds are of a height suitable for people with mobility problems and the space between beds is wide enough for a wheelchair.
Regular Saturday morning working-bees, commencing in January 2011, saw the rapid clearing of the site, the establishment of a windbreak of local species, the building of compost bays and the construction of garden beds. A shipping container, provided by ANU, serves as a storage shed and was recently covered with a pitched roof awning and a cosy wood burning stove to provide welcome shelter in all weathers for gardeners to relax with a cuppa. Another storage shed, donated by Sandra Worth, is used to store tools and equipment. Thursday afternoon working bees have been popular for those gardeners who can't attend on Saturday morning.
A propagation shed has been constructed, thanks to the hard work of volunteers Our citrus orchard, planted in April 2012 is growing well. An additional orchard has been planted in the newly established communal area. A successful pumpkin harvest in April 2013 prepared a large bed for the planting of 1200 cloves of garlic, saved from our 2012 crop. Since then, another garlic crop has been harvested and sold as a cash crop to local restaurants. Besides our old garlic beds, news beds have been prepared in the communal area ready for planting for our 2015 crop.
An exciting development for MCG is the extension of the garden site boundaries to create large communal beds where slower growing crops such as asparagus, pumpkin, potato, onion, zucchini, rhubarb, raspberry, nut trees etc are planted for sharing amongst all gardeners.
The garden has rapidly expanded to accommodate 61 plots under individual cultivation, plus several communal herb, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, garlic and asparagus beds, most lot these located in the new communal area. Besides the support of ANU, the MCG has received financial assistance from the Kioloa/Bawley Point Sport and Recreation Club, Koloa/Bawley Point Community Association, Clubs NSW, SCC and a grant of $4400 from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust.
Regular Saturday morning working-bees, commencing in January 2011, saw the rapid clearing of the site, the establishment of a windbreak of local species, the building of compost bays and the construction of garden beds. A shipping container, provided by ANU, serves as a storage shed and was recently covered with a pitched roof awning and a cosy wood burning stove to provide welcome shelter in all weathers for gardeners to relax with a cuppa. Another storage shed, donated by Sandra Worth, is used to store tools and equipment. Thursday afternoon working bees have been popular for those gardeners who can't attend on Saturday morning.
A propagation shed has been constructed, thanks to the hard work of volunteers Our citrus orchard, planted in April 2012 is growing well. An additional orchard has been planted in the newly established communal area. A successful pumpkin harvest in April 2013 prepared a large bed for the planting of 1200 cloves of garlic, saved from our 2012 crop. Since then, another garlic crop has been harvested and sold as a cash crop to local restaurants. Besides our old garlic beds, news beds have been prepared in the communal area ready for planting for our 2015 crop.
An exciting development for MCG is the extension of the garden site boundaries to create large communal beds where slower growing crops such as asparagus, pumpkin, potato, onion, zucchini, rhubarb, raspberry, nut trees etc are planted for sharing amongst all gardeners.
The garden has rapidly expanded to accommodate 61 plots under individual cultivation, plus several communal herb, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, garlic and asparagus beds, most lot these located in the new communal area. Besides the support of ANU, the MCG has received financial assistance from the Kioloa/Bawley Point Sport and Recreation Club, Koloa/Bawley Point Community Association, Clubs NSW, SCC and a grant of $4400 from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust.
Official Opening of the ANU KCC Conference Facility and Open Day at MCG
Ewen, Prof. Young and Malcolm
The Vice Chancellor of ANU, Professor Ian Young, opened the new Conference Facility at the KCC on Saturday 2 June 2012. After the official opening of the new London Building the party moved across the field to the MCG for its formal opening. Professor Young planted a cumquat tree in our new citrus orchard and was presented with a basket of fresh garden produce by Ewen Sussman and Malcolm Salmon on behalf of the MCG. The planting by Professor Young was attended by a large number of people from Kioloa, Bawley Point and Termeil in celebration of the event. Click on our Previous Events page and scroll down for a slide show of the event.
MCG Forward planning 2010
3 Year Forward Planning 2010
Site Plan 2011
MCG is collecting a body of images from our archive.
Murramarang Community Garden Inc.
Australian National University, Kioloa Coastal Campus
Murramarang Road, Kioloa NSW 2539
http://murramarangcommunitygarden.weebly.com/
Australian National University, Kioloa Coastal Campus
Murramarang Road, Kioloa NSW 2539
http://murramarangcommunitygarden.weebly.com/