- 2.5ha Size of the garden
Dagun Natural History Walk and Labyrinth consists of a concrete walkway through planted zones that depict 3 different vegetation types found in the Mary Valley (Hardwood scrub, creekside, softwood scrub/rainforest). An interpretative walk, each zone has signs that describe the natural and pioneer history of the Mary Valley associated with those areas.
A fourth zone represents Agriculture in the Mary Valley. A feature of this zone is a planting that recognises the work of the Maroondah Agriculture Research Station located in Dagun and operating from the 1920s through to 1940s, and from which most of the local crops were derived (including pineapples, avocados, bananas, custard apples, citrus varieties). Plantings here represent 100 years of local agricultural developments through to the present time.
The 5th zone is a unique Community Garden. This area celebrates the achievements and resilience of the local communities with a formal lawn with a commemorative arch and a labyrinth. The labyrinth is a large, oval ‘flattened’ traditional design about 15m wide and 45m long, with about 500m of defined pathway. Fourteen quarter-moon garden beds were incorporated into the design, each with a defined pattern for planting. The intent is for people to use the path as a meditative/contemplative walk, and to use the gardens to swap plants they have found are suited to growing in this area, without showing a tendency to become weeds. Weed invasion from farms and gardens is one of the major threats to remnant ecosystems in the area.
History
Dagun Community Group has been developing the Dagun Railway Station precinct for more than 25 years. Although primarily for local community benefit, the precinct is a popular destination for visitors – on train trips, just dropping in to enjoy the attractive gardens and pavilion, or for its weekly social gathering offering local produce and plants, and to play or listen to live music.
The land on the eastern side of the Station was once a wasteland, littered with many years of debris from the railyards and collecting drainage and runoff from the road and sawmill. Local residents started cleaning up the land in the late 1990s with the aim of transforming the area into an educational walk that showcases some of the unique local natural landscape features, its animals and plants and its human history. This has become a unique community garden featuring a Natural History Walk with stories of the natural and agricultural history of the area, and a large labyrinth (just because we liked the idea!).
As with other community gardens, the purpose is to provide space, time and opportunity for social interaction, but also to celebrate local culture, environment and identity. It provides an easy-access facility for other social activities, and opportunity to raise awareness of environmental issues and good land stewardship.
The current project is in restoring and reinvigorating the gardens. The labyrinth garden beds will be cleared, filled with soil, mulched and planted. Pathways will be cleared and deeply mulched with sawdust (to prevent weed growth) and concrete edges to be repainted, and an attractive entrance gateway installed.
The natural history gardens is well established, and now we are planting out groundcover and understorey plants under the tall trees. The agricultural history area is laid out for an orchard of fruit trees important to the development of the Mary Valley, and one area will be prepared for display crops of non-tree food plants (pineapples, ginger, beans, etc) and a local native bush foods section.
Successes/opportunities
Creation of an amazing community space on what was a bare piece of land adjoining an old railway station. Collaboration of natural history and pioneer history buffs to create storyboards throughout the gardens. A Labyrinth of more than 1200 steps that allows time and space for personal meditation.
Problems/challenges
Weeds! Maintenance and ongoing planting.
Features
Location
Added by Dagun CG
