THE NSW Government has moved to ensure that visitors will be able to enjoy Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden at Sydney's Lavender Bay for decades to come.
It has extended North Sydney Council's five-year lease on the land 30 years, with an extra 30-year roll-over clause.
"For more than 20 years, Wendy Whiteley has laboured tirelessly to change what was essentially an overgrown railway dump into a beautiful and unique public place," said Transport and Infrastucture Minister Andrew Constance.
"Wendy has poured her blood, sweat and tears into the garden and she, along with the people of Sydney, deserve certainty that it will be here for years to come."
Member for North Shore Jillian Skinner described the garden as a magical place.
"It is quirky, like Wendy herself, with fabulous plantings and surprises around every corner," she said.
Wendy was married to artist Brett Whiteley, who died three years after their divorce in 1989. She worked tirelessly to turn a junkyard outside her home into what has become a gardening gem of the city.