• Keen to get gardening in Coogee: Danielle Pascucci, Megan Wishaw, Rachel Baldock, Karen Moulton, Debra Shorter and John Ivey.

A PRICKLY, powdery-dry paddock in Coogee is one of three parks in the running to get a green makeover from a newly-formed community garden group in Coogee.

Coogee Community Garden WA was formed following a suggestion from Cockburn council and is now assessing the potential of Rotary Park on King Street, Len McTaggart Park on Arlington Loop and Manning Park as potential sites.

CCGWA member John Ivey says that with more and more density in the suburb, an edible community garden will give built-in residents an outlet for their green thumbs, and an important place to get in touch with nature.

“We’ll need to seek funding through Lotteries and the council, as it’ll need fencing and landscaping, but we wanted to keep people up-to-date about where the proposal is up to,” Mr Ivey said.

Karen Moulton has been the driving force behind the incorporation and says they’ve received invaluable help from the council.

She says the garden would have an area for public use, as well as a members’ area for orchard growing and allotments.

Cockburn has had an association with market gardening from its earliest days, and Ms Moulton says they’re hoping Rotary Park gets chosen as it was once an allotment.

She says it’s got good public access, is centrally located and has a playground. The Chook noted that of the three sites, it was also the crispiest and in need of TLC.

CCGWA meets every two months. For more information email Ms Moulton on karen.moulton@bigpond.com or visit the group’s Facebook page.

by STEVE GRANT