Ceres Environmental Park: Entrance Mosaic

The Wurundjeri people originally lived on the land here. The Merri Creek was the central river for their life. After the Europeans invaded and Melbourne grew, the site was a bluestone quarry and then a landfill site. It became quite polluted and the wildlife disapppeared. The Merri isn't like that anymore - it's a testament to Melbournians who have revived it and cared for it, and Ceres has been instrumental in that movement.

From the Ceres website:

Since CERES was established in 1982, the efforts of many groups, staff, volunteers and labour market programs have transformed the site. Once a desolate wasteland, today CERES is a place of nature and beauty, inhabited by a vibrant and diverse community. We attract around 400,000 visits each year through our on-site education and training programs, Nursery, Organic Market & Grocery and the Merri Table. CERES continues to provide opportunities for the community to come together in site groups or as volunteers, through community programs, venue hire and events.

We reach out to over 200,000 people through our work in schools across metropolitan Melbourne, and regional and rural Victoria. We have a growing following on social media, which further widens our audience and reach. CERES Fair Food delivers organic food and the sustainable food message across metropolitan Melbourne. CERES also partners with a wide variety of organisations to bring about mutually beneficial outcomes, and reaches across the planet with CERES Global taking groups to India, Indonesia, Cuba and Aboriginal communities.

I'll definitely post more about Ceres next time I'm up there to take some photos.

Do you have an environmental centre like in your area? How inspiring is their vision! I love the way they bring the community together for creativity and education.