Project Overview

The existing garden was developed with significant community involvement and cared for passionately over many years. However, like many much-loved spaces, the garden has changed overtime and now needs a thoughtful renewal. The garden uplift project at San Remo Cemetery will involve replanting the outer garden beds and redesigning the inner garden to improve its structure. This will create a place where people can gather and reflect.

The community has been central to the history of this garden, and their feedback and engagement has been central to the redesign of this space, ensuring it reflects shared community values and the local identity.

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This is a renewal that keeps what matters while improving how the space functions.

We’re proposing to:

• Refresh planting across the garden

• Install drip irrigation throughout the beds to help plants establish, survive and thrive

• Reshape the central garden to create a clearer focal point

• Keep existing benches in place as valued amenities

• Improve the walking surfaces with more stable materials

• Maintain wide, accessible pathways (minimum of 1.8m) for all visitors

The garden will keep the character that means so much to the community, while feeling renewed and more inviting for everyone who visits, now, and in years to come.

The garden will use hardy locally native and Australian native plants suited to coastal conditions, with two distinct planting areas.

The outer areas will be planted in a woody meadow style for a relaxed, natural look that supports biodiversity. These beds will be densely planted, provide seasonal colour, attract birds and beneficial insects and be resilient, respectful and beautiful. You can expect to see:

• Low coastal shrubs like Westringia, Correa and Cushion Bush (Leucophyta brownii)

• Groundcovers and flowering perennials, including native daisies, fan flowers and paper daisies

• Grasses such as wallaby grass and coastal spear grass for movement

• Thoughtfully selected taller feature plants like banksia or native hibiscus (Alyogyne hueglii)

This area is designed to feel open, natural, and resilient, while still allowing easy access to memorials and views across the site and the bay.

The central garden will be redesigned as The Everlasting Garden. It is inspired by the common everlasting flower (Chrysocephalum apiculatum). This flower was chosen for its symbol of memory, continuity, and lasting connection.

This centre will become a welcoming focal point with soft curved garden edges, and a larger, more defined area with dense planting.

You will see:

• Common everlasting as the feature plant throughout the inner garden

• Compact flowering shrubs such as Pimelea and Thryptomene

• Soft layers of native daisies and strawflowers for colour

• Fine grasses for texture and seasonal change

The upgrade will also improve how the garden performs over time.

This includes:

• Improving soil to support long-term plant health

• Installing drip irrigation to help plants establish

• Reducing watering needs once plants are established

• Using dense planting to naturally suppress weeds

• Selecting plants suited to the local, coastal conditions at San Remo

These changes will help create a garden that is beautiful, more environmentally friendly, and easier to care for.