The entry to Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Last week, whilst visiting Port Macquarie, our friends who live there pointed out a lovely-looking spot on the foreshore near Town Beach as we drove past on our way to lunch, and suggested we have a look at it before we departed. The next day, on a glorious, crisp autumn day we found ourselves in Mrs York's garden, an amazing community-maintained reserve that has a fascinating history and serves an important role in the ecology of the local area.

In 1963, decades before Wendy Whitely reclaimed a rubbish tip at Lavender Bay and turned it into a renowned garden, avid gardener Mrs Amy York transformed, in the space of five years, the hideous mess of lantana and kikuyu opposite where she lived into a lovely garden. She obtained permission from the Department of Lands, who owned the land, and with the support of the local council it was gazetted as a floral reserve. Stone retaining walls were built to create beds on the steeply sloping blocks and planting began. Mrs York hired part-time gardeners and some school students to help her. The many native trees that were planted attracted myriad birds to the site, and the community enjoyed strolling in and simply being in the garden, with its magnificent backdrop of the ocean.

Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Mrs York passed away in 1971 and the garden subsequently fell into disrepair. In 2015, a group of volunteers calling themselves the Friends of Mrs York's Garden began recreating the garden. The focus of the restoration has been on planting thousands of native littoral rainforest and coastal headland species of plants endemic to the local area, as well as building some fabulous facilities within the space for the local community. A Littoral Rainforest is a type of ecosystem generally found within 2 km of the ocean, with moderate-high exposure to salt-laden winds and comprises a mixture of subtropical and dry rainforest specimens. Most of the Littoral Rainforest in Australia has been destroyed and only remnants remain.

Massed native groundcovers in Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Massed native groundcovers in Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Sunny open areas with sweeping lawns at the top of the slope near the road use low, massed shrubs such as Westringea and dwarf, cream-flowered bottlebrushes (Callistemon cultivars) as hedges, and part of the slope is planted with a delightful tapestry of native groundcovers such as fairy fan flower (Scaevola aemula), pigface (Carpobrotus glaucescens) and Goodenia. Shrub-flanked walkways lead the visitor to the lower levels of the garden. I admired specimens such Melastoma affine (a Tibouchina relative with mauve-purple blooms) and native rosella (Hibiscus heterophyllus) along the way.

Shaded boardwalk in Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Shaded boardwalk in Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

The shaded rainforest areas are filled with understorey plants such as native ferns, native ginger (Alpinia caerulea), cunjevoi (Alocasia brisbanensis) and Lomandra longifolia; with rainforest trees such as the cheese tree (Glochidian ferdinandi) and the tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) providing the canopy. Native grasses, sedges and rushes are used in various spots to form a delightful soft meadow effect, with the leaves swaying in the breeze bringing a sense of movement. There is extensive labelling of plants, which is so helpful for those wishing to identify species and as a guide to what attractive native plants can be used in home gardens in the local area. A sensory garden is included, and the original waterfall has been restored. Everywhere birds sang - some of the species that can be found in the garden include Rufous Fantails, Regent Bowerbirds and Rose-crowned Fruit Doves. The many fruit-bearing specimens in the garden are an added attraction for birdlife.

Massed native shrubs in Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Massed native shrubs in Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Over time, a couple of boat-themed picnic shelters have been added to the garden, providing the perfect spot to enjoy a coffee whilst enjoying the garden. The wood used in the construction was from local hardwood trees, such as blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) and tallowwood (Eucalyptus microcorys and the structures reflect the importance of boat building and the timber industry in the history of Port Macquarie.

Vista from the viewing platform, Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Vista from the viewing platform, Mrs Yorks Garden, Port Macquarie NSW

Boardwalks have been added to improve access, and recently a stunning viewing platform was built to admire the ocean and the passing whales, as well as providing a space for community activities, many of which are held there. The 40-odd Friends, who volunteer their time to maintain the garden every week, were able to obtain grants to fund the building of the various structures that have been added to the garden. The generosity of local businesses and benefactors supports the ongoing work of the Friends, providing funds, mulch, labour and plants. The Friends are also regenerating a critically endangered ecosystem bushland area that will continue the Littoral Rainforest corridor for wildlife, connecting to the Sea Acres National Park further along the coastline.

This site is truly an inspirational example of how a community-focused garden can serve so many valuable roles - a place for relaxing, exercising, socialising, finding solace and being educated about local plants, as well as simply enjoying being in nature, with its multiple physical and psychological benefits. Vitally, it also helps preserve an endangered ecosystem for the future. Every community should be so lucky as to have a spot like this.

Mrs York's Garden can be found adjacent to Stewart Street, Port Macquarie NSW.