Beyond the Gold Coast's famous concrete canyons, a group of gardeners has nurtured the city's first urban farm into being.
Members of not-for-profit The Healthy Living Collective have transformed a small plot of land in a Burleigh Waters yard into a local fresh-food hub.
They are hoping to empower and inspire the rest of the community.
"We have dirt under our nails, we have studied permaculture and organic farming and syntropic farming so I couldn't see why we shouldn't make this happen on the Gold Coast," said project leader Kym Duffy.
"So we decided that we wanted to start a small farm right in the middle of town.
"We hope that the neighbours see what we're doing and then we hold their hand through their creation, and then the street, and then the suburb and then the town."
A COVID-19 opportunity
The project has been a work in progress for Ms Duffy and close mate Ian Plumbley for six years.
Coronavirus lockdowns gave them the chance they needed to make it a reality.
"I lost my job in hospitality and just put my head back in the dirt and said, OK, I want to start growing my own food," Ms Duffy said.
"Being forced to stay at home also allows you to connect with neighbours, the people on the street.
"As tragic as the repercussions of bringing the business world to its knees have been, those who have been grounded have had the chance to seriously think about what's possible."
Sharing knowledge
Self-sufficiency and sustainable eating are the major drivers of the urban farming movement worldwide.
On the Gold Coast, Ms Duffy and Mr Plumbley hope to add education to the agenda.
"There are nurseries, obviously, around but there's no coaching once you walk out with your plants in your little trolley," Ms Duffy said.
"So for us, it was always about holding the hand of the grower and then allowing the grower to become that much more educated and excited about walking into their backyard and doing their supermarket shopping in their yard first.
"Lawns are thirsty, and they look great, but they don't produce any food of any sort.
"Our dream is to see people turning even the smallest plot into something productive for themselves and their families."
Mr Plumbley said once the urban farm was well-established, they would like to set-up a larger project for community use — if suitable urban land could be found "to have a green shed, have some ready-made gardens and education happening on site".
"People could come, learn, grow and basically eat for free or close to it, that's the wish."
