Gosnells neighbours stop to chat as Inge offers cuttings from her colourful, waterwise garden. In East Fremantle, children peer over Phil’s fence to watch Carnaby’s Cockatoos demolish Banksia seed pods. Across Perth, stories like these are part of a quiet but powerful movement: rewilding our gardens to bring nature home.
For Inge, it started with a simple, practical goal.
“I wanted to turn my front yard from grass into a waterwise garden to save water. It’s precious and expensive to use to grow grass in WA,” she says. What began as a way to save water has become a thriving ecosystem.
Her patch has now survived two scorching summers, bursting with flowers, while nearby lawns turned brown. Just as important has been the social ripple effect.
“Now the garden survives hot summers, attracts birds and insects, and it’s cheaper than fake lawn. I show neighbours that small spaces can be beautiful and sustainable. I share cuttings, and I even helped one neighbour transform their weedy patch into flowers.”
Those chats at the front fence, she says, have helped spread the idea further down the street. People stop, ask about the plants, and go home inspired to try their own small patch of rewilding.
For Phil, the motivation ran deeper. Moving from Tasmania in 2001, he felt overwhelmed by the impact of urban sprawl. His answer was to turn his East Fremantle block into a sanctuary.
“When I get home I feel like I could be in the middle of the bush,” he says.
“My garden and the creatures I share it with nourish my soul. The daily small delights, cockatoos crunching Banksia seeds, honeyeater chicks in a nest, lizards scampering in the leaf litter, bring me so much joy.”
His backyard has become a haven, layered with tall trees and shade-loving plants beneath. Several bird baths connected to his reticulation ensure there’s always water, drawing in flocks of honeyeaters and parrots. Even the spiders have their place, though his partner takes charge of moving the huntsmen back outside.
Phil says the benefits go beyond birds and insects.
“Now that my trees are established, my house stays cooler in summer. I rarely use aircon. Rewilding makes life better for the birds and for people.”
He laughs about the irony of buying into a subdivided block after criticising the loss of trees in East Fremantle, only to dedicate his patch to restoring them.
His pride comes when children next door point excitedly at a cockatoo or a gecko in the garden.
A bigger picture
These personal stories echo a larger trend. Supported by ReWild Perth, a program run by Perth NRM, residents across the metro area are turning lawns into living landscapes. Councils like Cockburn played a crucial role in helping the movement take root.
“The City of Cockburn has supported ReWild Perth for several years, including the pilot project and a one-year partnership through the South West Metropolitan Alliance,” said Rafeena Boyle, environmental education officer.
“Despite the pause in formal partnership, the City remains committed to the concept of rewilding and continues to collaborate with Perth NRM on projects.
“We hope to support ReWild again once a review is complete.”
During its partnership, Cockburn ran nest-box and frog-habitat workshops, launched the ReWild Treasure Trail at Coogee Live in 2024, and continues to offer subsidies and biodiversity grants.
The science behind the joy
It isn’t just feel-good gardening. The Turning Gardeners into Conservationists study (2021–24) showed rewilded gardens recorded 216 species, including threatened black cockatoos. Bird baths attracted 57 species, frogs bred in one in five gardens with ponds, and participants reported better health and stronger connections to the community.
That’s no surprise to Steve McCabe, program manager at Perth NRM.
“People aren’t just helping plants and animals, they’re helping themselves,” he says.
“We have evidence that rewilding improves happiness, energy levels, even social connection. It moves anxiety into agency, and that’s a very healthy place to be.”
What’s next
As residents like Inge and Phil transform their gardens, the City of Cockburn is backing the movement with biodiversity workshops this spring for National Biodiversity Month, and more rewilding events during the WA Tree Festival in April 2026.
But the real legacy lies in the gardens themselves. From Gosnells to Fremantle and beyond, residents are proving that lawns can become ecosystems, and that rewilding gives something back, not only to nature, but to the people who live alongside it.
