The farm is named Yerrabingin House which in Aboriginal language, Yerrabingin means 'we walk together'.
The gardens are located in South Everley, not far from Botany Bay in Sydney.
This is not an ordinary garden or garden because of its very unique location, that is, on the roof of a concrete building.
Yerrabingin is the world's first indigenous roof garden dedicated to traditional plants and flowers.
Yerrabingin Garden Credit: Yerrabingin
More than 2,000 plants that are edible, medicinal and of important cultural value are grown there and revived a rich Aboriginal tradition.
The story begins with the close friendship between Clarence Slockee and Christian Hampson, two Indigenous Australians.
While attending an executive business program in landscaping for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, their inspiration arose to create unique community gardens.
The gardens will feature native Australian flora
The couple were originally asked to create a cultural landscape garden for the estate when building company Mirvac proposed a rooftop farm.
This unique partnership with Mirvac has enabled Yerrabingin to blend collaborative design knowledge and thinking into a new public domain in South Eveleigh.
This pioneering rooftop farm offers cultural and environmental knowledge from the world's oldest surviving cultures to communities and visitors, providing one of the few sites in Australia that offers an exciting array of engagements and educational experiences focused on celebrating and memorialising Aboriginal culture.
“No one is using a permaculture approach using all native plants, or building a native farm on a roof,” Hampson said.
“It sounds like a great opportunity and Mirvac really understands the importance of the project outcome for the community.”
They planted 35 different plant and fruit species on the roof in March 2019. To keep the load light, they resorted to using easily draining soil and planting only species that require little irrigation.
Yerrabingin garden open for public Credit: Yerrabingin
To finance the estate, they designed “Thorough programs and educational packages as well as workshops.
That educational component includes engagement with local schools through curriculum modules for Grades 4-6, as well as a cultural tour package that will include walking tours, cooking, and foraging for food.
Meanwhile workshops on bush food, native permaculture, salting and pickling, weaving and art are organised on the roof, which can be hired for a variety of events and will be used as an Indigenous cultural space for music and dance performances.
They also plan for teppanyaki fireplaces made from termite mound clay, and an Indigenous rain garden designed to reintroduce natural processes into the urban landscape.
