The Melbourne Pollinator Corridor

This visionary project, the first of its kind Australia (if not the world), is an 8km wildlife corridor linking Port Melbourne’s Westgate Park to the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. The aim is 18,000 indigenous plants in 200 gardens by the end of 2024 to provide food and shelter for native bees and other native pollinating insects.

The Melbourne Pollinator Corridor has been designed within local council constraints and in consultation with more than 20 scientists and specialists. Volunteers have already transformed more than 480 square metres of barren public land into beautiful, pollinator-friendly gardens like the one above. 

When completed, the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor will be an 8km urban wildlife corridor linking Port Melbourne’s Westgate Park to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. 

The project has garnered high-profile support from a wide range of organisations, including Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and Westgate Biodiversity: Bili Nursery & Landcare. 

“I’m delighted to give my personal support to this exciting and important project for Melbourne. We need more plants, and the wildlife associated with them, in our city streets. This bold idea of connecting Westgate Park to Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne through street gardening is a brilliant way to achieve this. I urge you to donate and to support this initiative in any way you can,” said Tim Entwisle, Director and Chief Executive of Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

“Westgate Biodiversity is very proud to be a part of this inspiring initiative that uses our Bili Nursery’s locally grown indigenous plants to support native pollinating insects along a corridor of connection from Westgate Park to the Botanic Gardens,” said Janet Bolitho, Westgate Biodiversity: Bili Nursery & Landcare. 

The Melbourne Pollinator Corridor is driven by The Heart Gardening Project, a community organisation that connects humans to humans, humans to nature and nature to nature through street gardening and public planting. 

“Pollinating insects are vital for our food security and our ecosystem. They’re linked to so much of our flora and fauna! ” said Emma Cutting, Founder, The Heart Gardening Project. “Our cities are growing, yet habitat for our pollinating insects is decreasing. This is why the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor is such an important initiative.” 

A crowd funding campaign is underway to allow the community to get involved and fund the next stage of the project, which will include the creation of another 28 gardens, planting 6,400 indigenous plants, maintenance, ongoing First Nations consultation and biodiversity research.

The fundraising target for the crowdfunding campaign is $90,000. Supporters can also become a Heart Gardening Project member, volunteer or create their own pollinator-friendly garden. For more information about the Melbourne Pollinator Corridor initiative, including The Heart Gardening Project and its partner organisations visit www.theheartgardeningproject.org.au