Blooming transformation in the heart of Melbourne

This is a remarkable story of how a group of like-minded environmentalists came together in the late seventies to transform a rubbish tip into a place for community and connection, a place for city dwellers to “fall in love with the earth”. That’s the mantra at CERES – to help people fall in love with the earth again. And there are many ways in which they do that.

CERES stands for Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies but it’s also a nod to Ceres, the goddess of agriculture in Roman mythology.

The 4.5 hectare park that runs adjacent to Merri Creek, features social enterprises such as community gardens, a bushfood, Australian native plant & permaculture nursery, organic grocery & café, chook shed, a bee group, an energy park [the list goes on]. As well as all of this, CERES also run extensive environmental education programs for students and adults.

CERES embodies the true Aussie spirit, where hard work and our ability to transform nothing into something remarkable has triumphed in the face of adversity.

Before European invasion this area was home to the Wurundjeri people, the nearby Merri Creek their source of food and water. Then as Melbourne city grew and the Victorian gold rush hit, the site was a bluestone quarry – polluting the water, destroying the plants, and wildlife that called it home.

It’s an understatement to say that CERES has transformed the site.

There are vast outdoor spaces here that, on the day we visit, are buzzing with Mums and their small children, soaking up the Melbourne sun, enjoying a coffee - their toddlers playing in the sandpit, while the chooks strut freely and happily around the grounds [their eggs are used in the café and sold in the organic grocery]. Seriously happy vibes are radiating from this scene.

As high-density city living explodes, so too does the need for a place like CERES – an oasis for everyone amid the fast-paced, always-on, stress of city life.

This is a place where you can walk around freely in nature, where people smile at each other as they pass, as if we’re all in on some fabulous secret. People feel connected here, but not in a technological kind of way. Connected to the earth, connected to each other.

There are vast outdoor spaces here that, on the day we visit, are buzzing with Mums and their small children, soaking up the Melbourne sun, enjoying a coffee - their toddlers playing in the sandpit, while the chooks strut freely and happily around the grounds [their eggs are used in the café and sold in the organic grocery]. Seriously happy vibes are radiating from this scene.

As high-density city living explodes, so too does the need for a place like CERES – an oasis for everyone amid the fast-paced, always-on, stress of city life.

This is a place where you can walk around freely in nature, where people smile at each other as they pass, as if we’re all in on some fabulous secret. People feel connected here, but not in a technological kind of way. Connected to the earth, connected to each other.

CERES, like us, is a work in progress, ever-changing in order to adapt to the environment, the weather and the needs of the community who come here.

The CERES site is a credit to the group of committed community-minded folk who lobbied the council 36 years ago to hand the land over to them. And, in doing so have created jobs, provided education and given people the chance to have a relationship with the earth.

CERES has not only transformed their physical space, but also the communities around them. This is a place where all people are welcome.