Walking into Penny’s garden in Towradgi, near Corrimal, feels like stepping into a sanctuary. From her generous back deck, you can take in the amazing array of natural greens from every corner.

“It’s a seasonal garden. We’ve just said goodbye to summer, where we were growing four different types of tomatoes and fresh herbs like basil, native mint, thyme, lemon myrtle, and verbena. Plus, eggplants, three types of pumpkins, all kinds of citrus, and native plants like Warrigal greens, beans, ochre, chives, leeks, onions, spring onions, celery, and all the greens—kale, lettuce, and broccoli.”

“Autumn/Winter crops include broccolini, green beans, snow peas, silverbeet, beetroot, sorrel, chillies, fennel, sweet potato, and rocket. Plus perennial herbs, edible flowers, three types of thyme, perennial basil, lemon verbena, sage, nasturtiums, oregano, tarragon, dill, parsley, lemongrass, and rosemary. Native edible plants include native mint, lemon myrtle, finger lime, Warrigal greens, lilly pilly, mandarin, dwarf orange, Eureka lemon, Tahitian lime, makrut lime (kaffir lime), and two types of olive trees.”

Wildlife also features prominently, with “Larry” the resident water dragon, a variety of birds, skinks, possums, and a cast iron tub with tadpoles soon to become frogs.

When Penny and her partner bought the house in 2021, the garden was non-descript, with two plum trees, one large maple, a large patch of grass, and very little protection from the busy sounds of Memorial Drive just behind the property.

A self-confessed garden “newbie,” Penny was surprised to discover her green thumb. “It’s all new learning! I started off with the PictureThis plant app and walked down to the beach and around Corrimal Creek, doing a big loop. I’d see a mixture of coastal plants and bush and would keep checking the app to see if it was a native or not.”

“Back then, I didn’t even know what a Banksia was! Becoming familiar with the plants was how I got attached to the place. Putting things in the ground literally put my roots in the ground! Plants and nature were how I went from being a Kiwi to a Kiwi who lives here. It’s been awesome to have this transformation.”

Penny credits the generosity of amazing local resources like Wollongong Botanical Gardens, Growing Illawarra Natives—a local group passionate about growing native plants—Sarah Anderson from Popes Produce, Narelle Knapp from Sydney Wildlife, Fair Food Illawarra, and the Illawarra Edible Garden Trail for helping her find her gardening stride.

“I started to realise that there are all these people doing great things, and it gave me the confidence to keep going. I started to grow more foods, and we got raised beds because our block tends to flood. I am starting to understand the seasons and how to companion plant—growing flowers to make the bees happy. And the insects are going off!”

A real boost to her confidence was when Penny signed up for the Illawarra Edible Garden Trail in November 2024. “I had such imposter syndrome after I signed up for that. It doesn’t have to be amazing, they tell you that, but everyone gets really freaked out! I just went nuts and grew lots in preparation for that.”

Penny is also a regular at the Bulli Crop Swap, held on the first Saturday of the month at the back of Miller’s Local Bake House. “You go along if you have a productive garden and bring whatever you grow or overgrow. Everyone brings seeds, cuttings, chutneys—whatever you make in your garden—and shares it with others. The generosity and enthusiasm of everyone is wonderful.”

As for her favourite spot in her well-loved garden? Penny says it’s the comfortable lounge at the helm of the back deck. “You can see it all from here! So I take my coffee out here in the mornings and just enjoy the view. It’s wonderful.”

Do you have a garden you’d love to share with Coal Coast readers?