The Zig Zag garden of Ulverstone in Tasmania Australia

Updated: Mar 23, 2022

The award-winning zig zag gardens were a delight to visit. They are located in a residential area of Ulverstone, from Maud to Upper Maud Street . A great admirer of gardens, I decided to include this on my list of things to do in this north Tasmanian town.

The gardens were glorious. As I walked up the zig zag path to the top (yes, it does zig and zag), the hike was rewarded with panoramic views over the town once I reached the top.

Visitors can start at the top but it was the unfolding of the beauty from the bottom up that was special.

The gardens are tended by volunteer local residents on this council owned land. Back in 1995, sixteen people participating in the Work for the Dole scheme started to build the paths and plant the garden. The work was all done by hand, including the drainage that went in from the top of the hill to the bottom. A quick look at the vacant paddock next door can give the viewer an idea of what the land looked like before all the work was done.

Many people use the paths to exercise or walk their dogs. Seats have been strategically placed to enable visitors to rest a while and take in the gorgeous views from all different levels of the garden.

Locals have a great sense of community pride in this glorious strip of garden. Two locals came out to see what I was doing there with my drone and ended up bringing out a photo album of the progress over the years. They were keen to share the developments with me, and it was great to see the barren ground it had been and enjoy the beauty that it is now.

Local resident Kevin mows the lawn and said that the gardens are home to a variety of local wildlife such as blue tongue lizards, bandicoots, wallabies, wrens, white eyes/silver eyes, spinebills, honeyeaters and black cockatoos.

I visited the gardens in August and many of the trees and bushes were displaying glorious coloured flowers. The plantings have been carefully done so that there is always something blooming, no matter what time of the year you visit.

Plan to spend around an hour visiting and walking the garden paths, including time to stop and admire the views and the plants. For those with mobility issues, drive up to Upper Maud Street and enjoy the view from the top down.