Merri Creek catchment’s schools are excellent places for indigenous gardens and offer an array of learning opportunities. MCMC’s Learning Grounds Program is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We’ve worked with school communities for over 20 years with over fifty school-based indigenous garden projects in the Merri Creek catchment who need one-on-one specialist support. Indigenous gardens in schools are all individual yet share common potential curriculum links such as history, geography, performance, art, and science. We tailor and maximise age-appropriate student learning including briefings about the difference between introduced, native and indigenous species and cultural contexts such as NAIDOC Week.

Inspiring indigenous gardens on school grounds include:
• Carlton Primary School connects with their curriculum goals to notice Wurundjeri seasons through changes in their indigenous garden.
• Marymede Catholic College co-created their indigenous garden as an outdoor learning centre to promote and contextualise learning on Wurundjeri Country.
• Thornbury Primary School connected with NAIDOC Week and replaced introduced species with indigenous plants.
• Edgars Creek Primary School made their connection to Country come to life in 2022 with a series of student incursions culminating in planting a new indigenous garden.
• Spensley Street Primary School acknowledge Wurundjeri Country with their indigenous gardens and show respect for the very nearby biodiversity conservation efforts at Hall Reserve.
Local research shows multiple advantages of indigenous gardens at school and benefits such as cooling school grounds and enhancing student cognitive development.

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss in-school support such as co-planning an indigenous garden (site, plant list, preparation and maintenance), co-planting an indigenous garden, co-managing your indigenous garden, and how to develop and extend learning opportunities while delivering the curriculum with an indigenous garden.