cassidy – spring bay mill

The Organic Kitchen Garden at the Spring Bay Eco Resort sits on the edge of Freestone Point on Tasmania’s South East coast line. Once a gathering site for Palawa people, the land then became home to the worlds largest wood chip mill post-colonisation. Now, the land is carefully being restored as part of Spring Bay’s carbon-negative vision through revegetation projects, turning something once-destructive into something now-thriving.

The Organic Kitchen Garden is a living expression of this philosophy. Designed as a productive small scale farming system, it focuses on seasonal, organic fruit and vegetables grown for flavour, nutrition and resilience. Produce is harvested directly for the Spring Bay’s kitchen, shaping menus around whats growing and reinforcing a true seed to plate experience. Biodiversity is prioritised through companion planting, flowering borders and native species that attract pollinators and beneficial insects, supported by an onsite beehive. Soil health sits at the core with all kitchen scraps, garden cut offs and land care waste composted on site, alongside worm farms producing nutrient rich liquid fertiliser straight back into the beds. The garden also plays a role in community education, welcoming school groups into the space to plant, explore and connect with where food comes from. 

The garden is led by horticulturist Cassidy, who followed her calling from coastal Victoria to Tasmania, drawn by good soil, strong values and the chance to grow something meaningful. Curious, hands on and always learning, Cassidy believes the best way to farm is to give it a crack, pay attention and let the land teach you. Alongside her powerhouse apprentice Tilly, she’s building a diverse, generous food system rooted in seasonality, biodiversity and care with the vision to grow as much produce as they can to share with the local community, connecting people to fresh organic food straight from the garden.