The Temora Youth Centre, known as “platform Y’, started holding monthly environmental group meetings for school aged students in 2020. In order to build momentum and interest in group membership, an exciting project was required to engage the students.
The Temora Railway Station precinct was undergoing a revitalisation from an industrial facility into an overnight ‘Grey Nomad’ stopover, however the site still retained an industrial landscape with little natural amenity. In order to improve skills and develop interest amongst the environment group, an existing garden area adjacent the entrance to the youth venue which contained exotic plants and weeds was selected for renewal in order to provide an education opportunity for the kids, and improve the area for visitors.
During a process of 2 afternoons, environment group members transformed the degraded garden space into a welcoming and functional garden incorporating water-wise, drought tolerant flowering natives into a thriving low maintenance garden area. During the activity, the kids learned about correct soil preparation and planting techniques, and the importance of planting natives in urban landscapes. The garden created much interest amongst the Platform Y members, with further revegetation projects within the town area now being planned and prepared.
