The garden was established in 2001 by friends of the Flinders University Environmental Action Group (FEAG). Since its inception, it has played an important role in fostering student leadership, knowledge, and learning regarding sustainability, permaculture, and environmental awareness on campus and within the broader surrounding community.
The community garden is approximately a 2000 square meter site adjacent to the Sturt precinct and features a fruit tree orchard including rare fruits and nuts, vegetable gardens, water-wise catchment systems such as swales, compost facilities, and a native regeneration project.
The garden is constructed according to Permaculture principles, a design system, and philosophy that encourages sustainability and resilience, covering topics from food source to energy generation. Permaculture promotes diversity, multi-use, high-yielding, edible and indigenous landscapes, whilst nurturing human health and interaction.
We advocate and introduce visitors to the principles and practices of permaculture and other sustainable lifestyle techniques through interactive workshops. For example organic vegetable gardening, native re-vegetation, mulching, composting, eco-design and planning, material sourcing, as well as community development activities through open days, working bees, garden tours, and information sessions.
Over the years the Flinders University Community Garden has matured and flourished, it is now one of the longest-running community garden in South Australia and will continue to play an important role now and into the future.