For this year’s National Tree Day, the Gardens held not one, not two, but THREE National Tree Day events.

First of all, on our ‘National Tree Day Picnic’ in early August, Garden-Members and community-members worked together to plant 150 native trees in our ‘Indigenous Dyes, Fibres, and Food Garden’. These plants will help to prevent erosion, provide habitat for native wildlife, and once established, be open for use by local weavers.  

The second event involved inviting the local kindy-kids from the TAFE Community Kindergarten and Day Care. The little ones loved the cubby, sand-pit, and play-boat. While we didn’t get a lot of actual gardening done, nature-play at a young age is so important to fostering a children’s love of nature, the environment, and sustainability!  

The last National Tree Day event was with the Grade 3 children from Good Counsel College. This was very educational for the older children, and included exploring the ‘Indigenous Dyes, Fibre and Food Garden’, talking about and looking through the compost bins and worm-farms, making biodegradable toilet-roll seed-planters, and cracking MANY MANY coconuts! (Would not recommend this if you value the skin on your hands!)

All three events were fantastic in their own way, and illustrate the different ways that people of all ages can become involved in and learn about the environment. None of this would have been possible without the support of both the Cassowary Coast Regional Council, who donated the 150 plants, and Toyota who donated National Tree Day supplies and merchandise!

The Grade 11s from Good Counsel College also came for their last session of ‘Faith in Action’. After weeks of hard work planning, designing, and painting, the students were able to finish the cubby, just in time for our Children’s Spring Picnic in September.

The end result has been very eye-catching, with each panel featuring a different theme and design. The students did the rocket, submarine, and rainbow panels, while a Garden-Member and her children completed the flower and critters design!

In May this year, the Gardens participated in Bunnings’ Mother’s Day Event. This month we were back again to help celebrate Father’s Day. This is a great FREE event held by Bunnings every year, with DIY workshops, options to make a gift for dad, jumping castle, sausage sizzle, and more!

With the change in seasons, this month’s community picnic saw us celebrating our annual Children’s Spring Picnic. As in previous years, we partnered with Bunnings to give the fencing of our kid’s garden a much needed make-over. This is always a fun event for children, and helps to give them ownership of the kid’s ‘Cooly Wurley Garden’.

Held in Mission Beach every year, the Cassowary Festival is a fantastic event, aimed at raising awareness AND money for important cassowary conservation projects. This year the Gardens were proud to lend their support, and give some extra colour and movement to the event. As always, we were happy to spruik the Gardens, and educate people on the benefits of composting.

There were also plenty of other like-minded environmental community-groups, advertising the important work they do all throughout the Cassowary Coast, Atherton, and Cairns Regional Councils.

Since the last update, everyone’s plots – personal and communal – have been going from strength to strength.

It’s been great to see spaces throughout the Gardens transformed, and people working – together and individually – to grow their own healthy, nutritious food.