Published on Thursday, 29 October 2026 at 12:00:00 PM

Perth Hills residents have a new hands-on resource to help them create beautiful gardens while building greater resilience to bushfire. 

Shire President Paige McNeil officially opened the new Firewise Demonstration Garden at the Mundaring Firefighters School on Wednesday 28 October, alongside project partners, local bushfire brigades, community groups and Shire representatives. 

The garden has been developed as a practical community resource, showcasing plants and landscaping approaches suited to Perth Hills gardens and demonstrating how thoughtful garden design can form part of preparing a property for bushfire. 

The project brought together the Shire’s Emergency Management, Environment, Civil Works and Parks and Gardens teams, with contributions from The Forever Project, Mundaring Firefighters School and Mundaring Men’s Shed. 

President McNeil thanked everyone involved in bringing the garden to life and said the initiative reflected the Shire’s commitment to community resilience, preparedness and environmental stewardship. 

The demonstration garden will also complement the Shire’s new Firewise Seedlings program, with species available through the program to be incorporated into the display in the future. 

By providing practical examples residents can see for themselves, the garden aims to show that improving bushfire preparedness can go hand in hand with creating attractive, resilient and lower-maintenance gardens. 

Residents can pick up a copy of the Firewise Gardening in WA book from the Little Library adjacent to the Mundaring Firefighters School, near the new toilets, and view the demonstration garden from around the fence line. 

Residents and community groups interested in taking a closer look at the garden or organising a Firewise gardening talk can also contact the Shire’s Emergency Management team. 

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