Living with disability can make it difficult for some people to get involved in their local communities, to find activities they really enjoy and to build and maintain strong social connections. Working to remove these barriers is important to ensure that everyone in our community has access to the same opportunities.
Meet Wendy
Coming from a 90 acre farm in the Clare Valley, adjusting to supported living in Nuriootpa has been a process for Wendy. Used to being surrounded by farmland and native scrub, Wendy has always been an active, hands-on person.
Loving a daily drive around the countryside, Wendy is always on the lookout for cows and sheep in the fields, enjoying the opportunity to escape the house for a bit and remain connected to the country life she so loves.
Having recently moved to a new Specialist Disability Accommodation house, Wendy is looking forward to bringing gardening back into her life by having plants and growing vegetables again at her new home.
To support her love of the outdoors and keeping active, Wendy participates at the Barossa Bushgardens. Since her first visit, Wendy has carved out a space for herself and takes joy in regular visits to the gardens.
Purpose and meaning through activity
One of Wendy’s favourite activities during her visits to the Bushgardens is collecting flowers, branches and leaves to create beautiful arrangements which are proudly displayed onsite. Each time Wendy visits, she creates a new arrangement to replace the one from the previous visit.
Allowing Wendy to remain active as she explores the extensive gardens for items, this fun activity also stimulates creativity as she makes the arrangements from each delicate flower and leaf.
With a keen interest in conservation and gardening, Wendy also takes joy in looking for wildlife as she walks through the gardens and shares her knowledge with the team. This allows her to keep connected to her life as it was before moving to Supported Independent Living in Nuriootpa.
Social support
For Wendy, the social element of the Bushgardens is an absolute highlight. Giving her the opportunity to spend time with others, she loves listening to stories over a shared morning tea with the Bushgardens team.
This opportunity to be around others supports Wendy’s wellbeing by reducing feelings of isolation and allowing her to connect to people with shared interests, allowing her to build relationships with local people.
About the Bushgardens
Featuring wheelchair accessible pathways and both a sensory garden and a dementia-friendly garden, the Bushgardens is a wonderful space to enjoy for all people in, or visiting, the Barossa, including people living with disabilities.
With many other gardens also on the expansive, 7-hectare site, there is much to explore at the Barossa Bushgardens, including the natural resource centre that provides information to the community about sustainability and resource management.
Always on the lookout for new volunteers, the Bushgardens is a welcoming space for people with disabilities to get involved.
It’s wonderful to see the joy Wendy gets from her participation at the Bushgardens, and the way the team there supports her to thrive.