Case Studies

Mandurah Community Gardens

Design Feature

Type of Project
Landowner Strategy
State
Western Australia
Location
Urban
Mandurah Community Gardens (the Gardens) is a place where people come together to grow and share produce, seeds, gardening knowledge and experience. This outdoor environment offers the Mandurah community an opportunity to socially connect with people from a range of backgrounds, ages and cultures to simply communicate and share a common bond around gardening. The Gardens aims to improve physical and nutritional health, mental health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, food security, social inclusion, education and training, economic development, cultural vitality and community resilience.
A community led initiative
In 2009, the City of Mandurah responded to interest and inquiry from community by supporting the development of a community garden. The Gardens is located east of Mandurah in the south west of Western Australia in a suburb called Coodanup. The Gardens was developed by a small but committed community group, supported by the City of Mandurah. Funding was also provided by Royalties for Regions through Peel Development Commission that allowed the development of key infrastructure including a shed. The City of Mandurah allocated a significant amount of time and resources to the development of the project, including project coordination by a Community Development Officer. In 2013 the City handed the project over to the newly incorporated Mandurah Community Gardens Inc.

Once the need for community gardens was identified and funding was allocated by the City of Mandurah, it took several years to gain traction, as challenges emerged including availability of suitable land on which the gardens would be located. The City of Mandurah had a number of potential sites, however came to an agreement and memorandum of understanding with Coodanup College (Department of Education) as the site of the Gardens.

In 2012 the Gardens became incorporated and thereby autonomous from the local government and establishing a self-directed committee under the Association Act 2015 (WA). Transition to an incorporated body was essential in order to seek and secure further grant funding. Since the Gardens became incorporated, it has received a number of funding grants. These include:
  • LotteryWest funding $15,000 – toilet and plumbing costs.
  • Department of Local Governments and Communities of $9,900 for guest speakers, events and workshops.
  • City of Mandurah Partnership funding for three years and $12,000 for workshops, signage, equipment and events.

More recently, the Gardens has received additional funding to purchase equipment, limestone pathway upgrade, shelter and seating and educational workshops and events.
Additionally, South Metropolitan Health Services engaged with the community group targeting the Gardens as a setting for healthy food provision and nutrition literacy initiatives. The health service became involved in strategic planning, partnership building (with organisations such as Foodbank WA), grant applications and evaluation as part of building the capacity of the Gardens.
The Gardens encourages everyone to work together for the purpose of maintaining a functional and cooperative space. The Gardens can only survive and thrive through participation and involvement from members and the community.
The Gardens works on an annual membership fee and plot allotment scheme. Paying members enjoy the benefits and responsibilities of membership. All members will have access to the Constitution that governs the Association. Members have the opportunity to assist with the community plots and attend working bees. They also receive free produce and seedlings, garden emails/newsletters and attendance at educational workshops, social events, networking and gardening skill sharing.
Project team
  • Committee members
  • City of Mandurah
  • Department of Local Governments and Communities
  • LotteryWest
  • Department of Education
  • Volunteer members with a broad range of social and gardening skills, experience and knowledge

Project Cost
Ongoing. Set up cost approximately $75,000
Health value
The Gardens provides an avenue to be physically active as well as providing recreational opportunities, nutritional health with opportunities for people to learn about growing their own food, psychosocial benefits with interactions with the outdoors and growing plants and links with community kitchens.

Mandurah Community Gardens has extended the health value it provides to the community by offering a number of educational and health workshops these include

  • Foodbank WA’s Garden to Plate Program – it was originally funded by the City of Mandurah and is now funded by Frasers Landing. It is hosted by the gardens and costs around $3,000 a year to deliver with facilitator fees, light catering and workshop materials. The workshops can be less expensive with donated materials and free facilitation.
  • Calendar of events – monthly activities that involve physical activity and learning about gardening (composting, worm farming) and/or cooking demonstrations. The Gardens also open every Friday and Saturday for visitors to come and explore the Gardens and seek further information.


Economic value
The Gardens are the largest in the Peel region and has the potential to provide local economic development, and social enterprises (nursery, markets, café, and training programs). The Gardens actively promote to active aging seniors, in turn making Mandurah a desirable place to retire.
Environmental value
  • The Gardens provides an excellent example of a community organisation that operates and promotes living and consuming in a sustainable manner. The Gardens also offers local solutions to climate change, provides organic waste management solutions, showcases sustainable technologies, and contributes to food security through local, community food systems and greening of urban environments.
  • The Gardens showcases a compost system. Educational signage is installed at the compost area to educate visitors as to the best means to compost green waste materials.
  • The Gardens showcases the use of organic gardening techniques and avoids the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. Where possible, permaculture principles are integrated and organic and permaculture principles include such practices as: building healthy soil to reduce pest and diseases, use of organic practices such as crop rotation, companion planting, mulching, watering and integrated pest management.

Social value
The Gardens is inclusive of all people and encourages interaction regardless of age, education, language or ability. The social benefits include the developing of friendships and the reduction in social isolation. The Gardens has over 1300 occasions of visit per year and there are five agencies who attend accompanying clients who are disabled.

Furthermore the Gardens are a supportive environment that promotes social inclusion of a range of people from multicultural backgrounds. Local Mandurah people are encouraged to meet and develop friendships, exchange ideas, and develop links between individuals and groups. The Gardens provide opportunities for community events and social occasions.
Use value
The Gardens provides ‘outdoor classrooms’ for informal learning. The Gardens partner with Foodbank WA to run the Garden to Plate program, which is a monthly healthy eating and gardening workshop. In 2015, participants of the workshops reported that they had changed the way they manage their garden and majority of the 2016 participants reported that they consumed more fruit and vegetables since attending the workshops.
References

Claire Nettle (2010). Growing Community: Starting and nurturing community gardens. Health SA, Government of South Australia and Community and Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association Inc.

Growing Communities WA project (2008 – 2010)


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