The creator of Molonglo Valley's popular 'fairy garden' has a message for visitors

The National Museum. Questacon. Naomi Mahon’s front garden. Canberra has a new tourist attraction, and it’s in the Molonglo Valley.

A couple of times already this year, the preschool students from the local Charles Weston School in Coombs have visited Naomi Mahon’s front garden as an official excursion. And during the school holidays, many of the same kids will visit every day.

They’re all there for the ‘Fairy Garden’, a miniature village complete with a beach, campsite, and “dragon’s lair” made of small garden ornaments, toys, and other items.

It popped up about two years ago when Naomi embarked on a “little fun outdoor activity” with her nine-year-old son, James, and mother, Robyn.

Up to that point, they’d decorated their Coombs townhouse, opposite the Ruth Park Playground on Edgeworth Parade, for Halloween and Christmas, but their new idea was to decorate roughly six square metres of their front yard.

“We started with just one fairy house, and then we put a sort of river in front of it,” Naomi explains.

“And then my son and I go camping, so we made a campground fairy garden, and then I thought, ‘Well, when we go camping, we often go to the beach’, so we built a beach next to the campground, and then it’s just been like things that.”

Her son, now aged 11, is less involved now but Naomi still likes to keep it up as a break from her work from home.

“Some days, I work from home, and it’s good to go outside and get some fresh air, and I suppose it’s like a hobby. Like people enjoy gardening, this is a joyful little activity for me.

“We need a bit of joy and magic in our life every now and again.”

Besides, the neighbours are invested now too.

“Because people know I like doing this now, sometimes they give me bits and pieces for the fairy garden,” she says.

“And I’ve got treasure in the dragon’s lair, which kids can take, so I have to restock it every now and again.”

Being opposite the playground, it attracts a lot of attention. Not all of it savoury.

In recent months, she’s had to remind people to “play gently or don’t touch” via the local notice board on Facebook after she discovered various items damaged or missing.

“I know it’s out there on public property, and I’m actually pretty surprised it hasn’t suffered more damage, but sometimes kids play a bit hard with it and things get wrecked, which is a bit disheartening,” she says.

“We encourage gentle play so it stays nice for the enjoyment of other children.”

But for every one of those instances, there’s a happier one.

“I put a new set of lights out there, and they didn’t even last a week before they were taken. But by the same token, yesterday, someone randomly dropped off garden ornaments at our front door,” she says.

Locals kids have also added their own decorations, or helped Naomi.

“I was out there for about half an hour yesterday with some kids, and they were helping me tidy it up and put some Halloween-themed items in the displays, like little tiny jack-o-lanterns and ghosts,” she says.

It’s times like these that make her want to keep it going.

“I’ve posted about the garden on Facebook a few times, and I get lots of really positive comments – people thanking me and saying their kids love it.”

There’s just one thing: “Leave it nice for the other kids who want to enjoy it.”