St Mary’s College Broome has been recognised on the national stage, winning the First Nations Food category in the 2026 Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation National Kitchen Garden Awards, presented by Gardening on Country.
The 2026 awards attracted an incredible 647 entries from across Australia, with St Mary’s one of just nine schools and services nationally recognised.
At the heart of the College’s winning project are our kitchen gardens, which are designed, built and cared for by students. The gardens focus on growing Kimberley species suited to our unique local conditions, while helping students discover and celebrate the remarkable native foods and “superfoods” found here in Broome and across the Kimberley.
Students are involved throughout the process, from planning and constructing garden beds to planting, maintaining, harvesting and using produce. A particular favourite has been experimenting with pickled boab carrots, connecting local food knowledge with practical learning in the kitchen.
Importantly, the gardens are much more than a place to grow food. They provide an authentic learning environment where students can apply concepts from the classroom, including measurement, mathematics, science, sustainability, design and problem-solving, to real-world challenges.
Winning the First Nations Food category celebrates our students’ work to better understand the foods, environments and knowledge of the Kimberley and demonstrates what can happen when learning is connected to Country, community and place.
We are incredibly proud of our students and everyone who has contributed to bringing our kitchen gardens to life. Thank you to our families who support the Gardening and Construction Club, staff at Mitre 10 who have donated tools and plants, experts like Neville Poelina and Pat Torres who have shared knowledge on plants and recipes.
We look forward to continuing to develop these projects and share more with our College community.
