Why NEW SHOOTS from OLD ROOTS?

SLCG is establishing a new resource for (and with) the thousands of students who attend primary or secondary school within a kilometre of our Community Garden. And for all the adults who live and work around here as well.

The brief for “New Shoots From Old Roots” is to re-introduce now less-familiar native edible or culturally important plant species. We want to illustrate in a way that you can taste, touch and smell the traditional uses of our site as an important place for gatherings, ceremonies, celebrations, healing, hunting and harvesting for indigenous families from all over what is now South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. A key principle behind “New Shoots From Old Roots” is that each species should have been found in South East Queensland before Taringa, St Lucia, Long Pocket and Indooroopilly became a small inner part of a rapidly-growing city.

Roughly 80 per cent of the pre-colonial indigenous diet was composed of edible plants gathered, cultivated and sown by people who lived here, or travelled through and specifically to here. Over thousands of years, these custodians learned and shared their knowledge of what grew best, what tasted best, what healed best and how to encourage and prepare it. We hope to bring a small part of that tradition back to life.

You can browse the plant species currently included in the project by clicking on an image below or learn more about the project here. Some are in place already, many more are currently maturing ready for planting out. When you are at the Garden, you will be able to spot QR Code signs near each species which will bring you back to these plant pages. Each page includes links to some of the many other sources of information now available.

It is important to remember that some or all of these plants may be toxic or unpalatable if consumed the wrong way, after the wrong preparation or at the wrong time of year. However everything we cultivate will be useful or edible if handled correctly. Which is how this website can help.

Recommended reading:

The SLCG Indigenous Garden is proudly supported by the Brisbane City Council through The Lord Mayor’s Cultivating Community Gardens Grants scheme, specifically to “Increase the cultivatable area and species diversity of the St Lucia Community Garden and provide a structured opportunity to learn more about the site’s rich cultural and food history”.

Maiwar MP Michael Berkman and the SLCG itself both substantially topped up the budget during 2022 to deal with rapidly rising costs.

For enquiries about the Indigenous Garden or to become a CG Member write to: stluciacommunitygarden@gmail.com