A rooftop carpark in Melbourne has been turned into a fully functioning urban farm. Melbourne Skyfarm is a 2000-square-metre green oasis tucked into a busy corner of Docklands, just off Wurundjeri Way and providing the space with views of the Yarra River and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
Due to open in the second half 2022, the urban farm will feature a rooftop orchard, herb gardens, nursery and sustainable 90-seat licensed café. The lush, leafy space will also run workshops and tours, as well as present events and conferences. Melbourne Skyfarm Director, Brendan Condon, says "Skyfarm aims to transform a bare concrete carpark into a 2000 square meter inner-city rooftop oasis and thriving urban farm, where Melburnians can enjoy a meal, explore a beautiful landscape, have an engaging educational experience and find out about emerging solutions to environmental challenges."
Melbourne Skyfarm is going to be a working farm too, with five tonnes of produce expected to be generated every year upon opening. Most of that bounty will go to OzHarvest, to help them continue their work in addressing food insecurity. The farm will additionally serve as an example of how cities can incorporate green spaces and sustainable living systems into urban environments – the garden beds and produce food, but the greenery will also absorb rainwater runoff, help cool the area and improve biodiversity.
A number of sustainability enterprises joined forces to realise Melbourne Skyfarm, including the Sustainable Landscape Company, Biofilta (which designs and builds urban food growing systems) and Odonata (a nature regeneration and protection group). The project received support from MCEC and the Melbourne city council's Urban Forest Fund (which provided Melbourne Skyfarm with a $300,000 grant).
Melbourne Skyfarm is expected to open to the public in the second half of 2022.