Urban twist as garden trumps vacant carpark | In Fiona's Garden

But it makes perfect sense to Wollongong publicans Ryan and Nikki Aitchison.

When a former car wash and adjacent 300 square metre gravel carpark near their Illawarra Hotel in Wollongong's central business district became available, Ryan had the idea of turning the site into a distillery to supply the hotel.

At the same time Jarad Smith, a friend who was a distiller at the local Headlands Distillery, had become interested in processing home grown produce into beverages.

Ryan then suggested to Jarad planting 10 rows of passionfruit vines in the former car park to supply his planned distillery in the car wash building.

He had proposed passionfruit partly because of its popularity for flavouring food and beverages and also because in the right climate, the high yielding vines normally begin fruiting after 18months and yield two crops a year.

His enthusiasm won the day and early in 2022 the Smith Street Distillery and Urban Farm was born.

Two years later the distillery is turning out delicious spirits for their pub and hoping very soon to release its own luscious passionfruit liqueur.

Meanwhile the passionfruit vines are flourishing and the garden now grows herbs, chillies and salad vegetables for the hotel kitchen.

Clumps of lavender help attract pollinating bees and Ryan has installed small hives for native sugarbag or bush bees.

Every garden starts with the soil and compacted gravel isn't exactly an ideal growing medium.

Seeing the huge quantities of kitchen waste produced by their hotel, Ryan and Nikki hit on the idea of a circular, fully sustainable system of recycling it to feed the garden which in turn would help supply food and drink for the pub.

Ryan now collects 500 litres of food waste every week from local pubs and cafes and uses it to feed compost worms in bins sunk in the ground between the passion fruit vines.

This works brilliantly and Ryan was amazed at the effect on the vines planted next to the compost bins.

"You could see them grow!" he exclaimed.

Soil in the raised beds is augmented with topsoil from a local cattle producer, which he supplies in return for spent grain from the distillery.

Any leftover organic waste goes to feed the farm's small flock of chickens, who play their part in helping to keep the soil fertilised.

Ryan has been overwhelmed by local response to his urban oasis.

Passers-by drop in and offer to help with weeding and Ryan is happy to share eggs and any spare produce with them.

People from surrounding flats are thrilled to be looking onto a green space.

The site includes a coffee caravan, tables and umbrellas, and friendly cafe owner Caz Burke confirms the farm's local popularity.

According to United Nations estimates, since 2007 more than half the world's population (56 per cent) has lived in an urban environment. In high income countries including Australia this soars to over 80pc.

If you live on the land it's easy to take the importance of nature for granted and to forget the detrimental effects that a lack of connection with it can have on mental and emotional health.

The contribution that urban farms such as Smith Street make to the happiness and wellbeing of their community cannot be overstressed.

Ryan is now hoping that his farm can be used as an education centre for school students to see real-life sustainability in practice.

Smith Street Distillery, Farm and Cafe, 100 Smith Street, Wollongong, 2500. Café open daily from 7am to 2pm.