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Small spaces have a big impact on biodiversity. Geelong’s first demonstration pollinator garden is a story of what is possible when public, private and community resources combine.
Partnering with Barwon Water, City of Greater Geelong and Geelong Gardens for Wildlife, Tract helped to transform part of Barwon Water’s former depot site near the recently upgraded South Geelong Railway Station into an urban micro-habitat.
Tess Quilliam, Landscape Architect and Co-Chair of Geelong Gardens for Wildlife, and Melinda Blunt, Senior Principal Landscape Architect, lent their expertise to create a design that reenvisions a patch of nature strip into a beautiful flowering meadow that supports local wildlife.
Species were specially selected to incorporate indigenous plants and ensure flowering year-round, with tube stock generously supplied by GenU Community Nursery. The design comprises dense and layered planting to create a meadow-effect, overlapping as the plants establish. With integrated habitat elements like logs and rocks, the garden not only provides food, but shelter as well.
As Geelong grows, so too does the pressure placed on our native plants and animals. The need to reimagine the potential of in-between spaces like nature strips and verges is an opportunity that can make a significant contribution to biodiversity corridors, one patch at a time. Geelong Gardens for Wildlife is an affiliate of Gardens for Wildlife Victoria – a network dedicated to improving biodiversity in our urban environment through projects just like this.
Fundamentally, landscape architecture starts with understanding site and context as the genesis for design decisions – how site users and nature will inhabit the space together. The Flowering Meadow at Monash University is another example of Tract’s commitment to biodiversity as a key design principle. A consciousness of climate, and the needs of local fauna directly influence selection of indigenous planting, the layout, and the purpose of the space.
Backed by a team of Gardens for Wildlife and community volunteers rolling up their sleeves, Tess Quilliam expressed, “it’s clear there’s a strong appetite within the Geelong community to bring projects like this to life—initiatives that support and celebrate local biodiversity within our urban environment.”
Melinda Blunt remarked on the great example the project sets as a partnership between community, public authority and the private sector, offering her hope that it will “serve as a catalyst for transforming nature strips throughout Geelong, enhancing biodiversity and strengthening the city’s ecological resilience.”
When contemplating the legacy of this micro-project, Tess Quilliam hopes people “feel a sense of curiosity as they wander by, maybe pausing to spot an insect beneath a log or a native bee among the wildflowers. Most of all, I would love people to see that rewilding small, under-utilised green spaces is easier than it seems—and deeply rewarding for both biodiversity and the community.
"The most exciting part is the ripple effect: the more people who are inspired to transform these spaces, the closer we get to a network of green corridors supporting wildlife and pollinators throughout Geelong."
We commend Barwon Water, Geelong Gardens for Wildlife, GenU Community Nursery and the City of Greater Geelong for their support and hope its example inspires others to look for more opportunities in their neighbourhood – however small.
To find out more about transforming small urban spaces, contact our team or visit the Gardens for Wildlife website to find local groups in your area.
