It was once a wasteland, covered in weeds and grass and overshadowed by pine trees.
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But North Katoomba's bush tucker garden is now thriving, with meandering paths among the native plants and, as of last week, a new bush tucker walkway.
The walk is dotted with signs which explain the way the Darug and Gundungurra people saw plants and used them, for medicine, for food, for tools, for shelter or for decoration.
The garden has been a five-year labour of love initiated by the Aboriginal Cultural and Resource Centre, drawing heavily on students from Wentworth Falls TAFE.
The TAFE students planted 500 trees, shrubs, ferns and ground covers and moved 300 cubic metres of mulch. Every week they would weed and water.
Bush regeneration groups and green corps groups as well as members of the local indigenous community and the North Katoomba community also helped.
Clr Don McGregor, who officially opened the walk after a smoking ceremony from Darug man Chris Tobin, said many years ago he and his wife used to bring their small children when it was just an old paddock with a couple of horses.
"It was barren and a rather sad and pathetic scene," he said.
But when he returned some months ago, there were "small family groups around all the trees having picnics in the dappled light. It took me back to my childhood when we had those secret little places in the bush."
He also acknowledged the wide range of people who have been involved in creating the space.
"To see all these disparate groups come together indigenous, TAFE, the North Katoomba community, council, it's a really heartening thing for a council to see the result of that collaboration in this lovely place."
The bush tucker garden and walk is at the Harold Hodgson Reserve, beside the community gardens, on Victoria Street, North Katoomba.