Gardening promotes health and wellbeing as it encourages the use of many motor skills, improves endurance and strength and is a good physical activity. Gardening can also have a surprising number of other health benefits such as improving mental wellbeing and social connection. For healthcare employees gardens can also provide an effective means of reducing work stress and restoring emotional balance.

The Gold Coast University Hospital community garden is a sustainable environmentally friendly opportunity to bring nature to our people.

The garden produces nutritious herbs, vegetables and native garnishes to enhance the hospital menu for inpatients and offers staff healthy herbal teas and other produce to add to their meals. Staff and community volunteers support horticultural therapy opportunities for in-patients as well as connecting with staff and visitors through shared gardening and general interactions in the garden.

Community members and staff register as volunteers through Gold Coast Hospital’s volunteers program

The viability of the GCUH community garden is reliant on community donations and volunteer time. Anyone interested in contributing to the community garden should email the garden coordinator for details on the types of donations or assistance.

Community members and staff can register as volunteers through Gold Coast Hospital’s volunteers program.

Your garden feedback is important.  Please send us your thoughts via our survey or send us your pictures or story via email.

Carrara community garden was established by public health staff at the Carrara Health Centre in 2017. The garden brings nature into the concrete courtyard and is a great source of fresh herbs and vegetables.  Staff participate by contributing to gardening, donating seeds and plants as well adding healthy herbs and produce to their meals.

A Robina Hospital community garden is being considered.  Anyone interested in supporting a garden to be established at this location should email the garden coordinator.