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We are a young organisation born in August 2014 with the intention that one day locals can harvest, cook with shared recipes and then eat produce from the fruit trees they planted with their own hands. Our site is in the heart of White Gum Valley, Fremantle, adjacent to Hazel Orme Kindergarten.
In October 2019 we celebrated 5 years onsite and all our orchard in the ground and starting to produce delicious harvests. We have also negotiated another 5 year licence with City of Fremantle. To become a member, go to signup and be part of exciting grass-roots project. To find out more about our full vision, view our Youtube video and explore this website or Facebook (White Gum Valley Community Orchard).
Our Concept Plan
Anyone ever tried a fruit from the Davidson's Plum?! We look forward to taste testing it along with some white sapotes, mangoes, midyim berries, plums, macadamias...to name but a few of the many fruits and nuts we are now growing in the orchard. We have started to turn our dream into reality of community harvests and culinary gatherings centred on the produce we grow or within the neighbourhood. In January 2015, our skilled orchard member Zoe Williamson, led a workshop with the committee and interested members to design the placement of all our future trees according to sun, water and space requirements. The resulting concept plan isn't set in stone though. Our tree list will change over time as we learn more from each other and the saplings' success or otherwise. In October 2016 we planted our citrus grove and this marked a significant point in the establishment of the orchard, with the majority of trees now in the ground. In the summer of 2016-17 the first harvests began with bananas and tamarillos. We have been successful with two Federal Government Stronger Communities grants in 2016 and 2019/20 to co-fund our two built structures onsite - our glorious shed and picnic shelter. In 2022 we extended our path to enable good accessibility to and through the orchard. We also installed a custom-designed tuart slab seat for a peaceful sit under the banana palms. |
LATEST NEWSTree Care Monday Sept 5th from 9am & Saturday Spring Busy Bee Sept 10thAll are welcome to attend a tree care session on Monday 9-10 and a busy bee on Saturday 10th 2:30 - 4pm (if the weather is kind, otherwise Sunday). We'll be tackling weeds, pruning, feeding trees and a shed cleanup.
A look back at some orchard milestones...May 20, 2020: Our beautiful Picnic Shelter is built - take a visit!Thank you Sam and Dave for your fine carpentry work and use of recycled timbers and Australian plantation timbers for a sustainable build. We look forward to the shade and shelter it will provide us in future community events and harvests.
Glass Houses & Green Futures -Freo Festival comes to the Orchard!
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In 2017 we pressed 40Litres of oil and in 2018 with very ripe olives picked we had maximum oil content and 90Litres pressed and bottles for pickers and locals.
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We had a great Citrus Workshop, thanks to Peter Coppin and all of you who attended.
Been on site lately?
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We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (particularly the 'Whatjuk people of the Noongar nation) as the traditional custodians of this country and its waters. We wish to pay respects to the elders past and present and extend this to all Aboriginal people.
