The Warrnambool Community Garden’s Open Day is the 2025 Warrnambool Community Event of the Year.
Held in October 2024, it was the first open day at the gardens for five years, with over 500 people flooding through the gates of the Grieve Street site.
A lot has changed at the gardens since the last open day, with the quarry amphitheatre, Chook Hilton, Healthy Urban Building (the HUB), herb garden, shed, composting area, worm farm and frog pond all new additions.
Highlights included the opening of the children’s garden and Sprouts Club area and the renewed all-abilities gardening nursery area.
Warrnambool Community Gardens Deputy Convener and Open Day organiser Geoff Rollinson said that while individual plots were popular, the garden had grown over its 15 year history to include a wide range of different programs.
“We were blown away to see so many people turn up on the day,” he said.
“As one who has been involved with the garden right from the outset, the magic about that particular day was that people were finding their own little niches, and I think it’s about the diversity of spaces around the garden where people can find an activity or a space where they feel comfortable and engaged.
“Clearly the word has spread because we now have 200 members, of which just a quarter are plot holders, so that speaks volumes for the reasons why people come to the gardens.”
Convener Courtney Mathew agreed, saying that the Open Day demonstrated just how many different aspects there are to the gardens, with more events on the horizon.
“I think the Open Day really inspired and sparked a lot of people’s interest to see it’s not just about digging in the ground, there’s a whole lot of other activities that we do that everyone can get involved in,” she said.
“Each new member has their own inspiration and stamp on the garden and we want to keep making it more and more accessible and interesting so every time you come here there’s something different blooming, there’s something different growing.
“We keep expanding our different programs, we keep offering different things. For us, these types of events bring in a lot of inspiration for everyone.
“We’re really excited to be hosting our first harvest festival, we’re calling it Harfest, in March. We’ve got an awesome line-up of bands, we’re going to be celebrating different cultures and the ways they celebrate their harvest.”
Warrnambool Mayor Cr Ben Blain said that like a well-cared-for plant the Warrnambool Community Garden continued to grow healthily throughout the years.
“What was a disused quarry covered with weeds is now a thriving community, and an ever-changing one at that,” he said.
“The team is always looking at new programs and activities to attract more people to experience the joy of watching things grow and sharing the rewards with those around them.
“Congratulations to everyone at the Warrnambool Community Garden for hosting an incredibly well-organised event, and one that has helped to spread an important message about community-building, sustainability and friendship.”
Other award winners include Citizen of the Year Nathan McKane, Young Citizen of the Year Sharna Rogers and Local Achiever Mike Toone.
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