Our Story

The Italian Ladies Backyard Orchard.

Friends of Whites Creek Valley Park (FOWCVP), a community group, established in 1997, was concerned when the old Italian ladies across the road were moving out, and their house was to be acquired for open space for the park. We were worried because it would mean all their fruit trees would be knocked down. They had Mangoes, Oranges, Lemons and Avocados. We asked the then Inner West Council if they could save those trees for a small orchard. They came back to us with an even bigger and better plan to create a large permaculture orchard. We knew about permaculture and had been running the Whites Creek Community Garden where vegetables were grown, and although it was a scary undertaking we said yes. We thought we could do it. There were meetings with local residents, members of FOWCVP and Council staff to plan out the whole forest and what would be planted and how it would be cared for. The Whites Creek Food Forest was formally opened in 2015.

At first. Working with Council and Steve Batley - 20142015

At the beginning the Council built the grape arbour, the beautiful stone walls and created swales down the site to prevent erosion in heavy rain. Fruit trees were planted to join the existing Mulberries and Loquats which had been in the backyards of the former houses. These houses had been acquired for open space as part of the 1960s Cumberland County Plan which aimed, amongst other things, to create open space alongside creeks. The whole site was then sprayed with a gloopy mixture containing seeds of White and Pink Clover and Rye Grass. This created the first nutritious understory for the trees. Permaculture Designer, Steve Batley, designed and supervised the planting. We got together a group of mostly local volunteers who began caring for the Food Forest. We got big large gauge hoses and started a watering roster where someone was responsible for watering every 8 weeks. This was an onerous task.

We began the Understory Project - 2020

We found that weeds like kikuyu and couch grass invaded and began to take over and even smother the young trees. Every week we seemed to be getting nowhere just weeding back the grasses. (The middle picture above taken early on shows how it looked at this stage). Then we began two big improvements. We applied to the state government for a grant to set up a watering system. Greens MP Jamie Parker helped us apply and we were successful. It’s an automatic system that doesn’t run when it’s wet. This was a big step forward. Then, in consultation with Inner West Council and Steve Batley, we began work planting the understory. An Inner West Council Environment Grant enabled us to buy plants and other things needed to build the Understory.

Growing Our Understory

This layer, composed of cover crops like clover and rye, various shrubs and herbs plays a vital role in our ecosystem. Some plants are chosen to attract beneficial insects, while others naturally repel pests. Others are edible. There’s plenty of herbs alongside the paths for people to pick. Our approach was methodical—starting with cardboard and mulching to suppress unwanted grasses and weeds, then carefully planting into the mulch to foster a diverse, self-sustaining environment. We still get weeds. That’s sort of unavoidable - and some of them are edible! We finally finished the understory project in July 2023 after some Covid and rain delays.

A Legacy of Community and Sustainability - Fruit trees need pruning and care, and we are learning how best to manage the food forest and make it accessible. We continue to grow and learn inviting everyone to join us in this green journey. Whether it's through volunteering, educational workshops, or simply enjoying the tranquility of the forest, there's a place for everyone here. Learn more here