Hey there Brie M! You could give Bamboo or Little Gem Magnolia - these plants will grow quickly with little maintenance. Non-flowering plants will prevent too much debris falling into the pool, too, which saves clean up time. In the meantime, have you considered DIY shade sails? They're great for immediate privacy and UV coverage while the plants grow in, and can be purchased in various colours and sizes from Bunnings. I've included some examples below: Otherwise, perhaps a market umbrella or semi-permanent gazebo may be a great solution while the hedge grows in: Hope this helps Brie! Let us know which plant you decide to go with.

A very interesting brief indeed! The back of your house has quite a symmetrical look to it, so I think formal lines and symmetry would definitely work in the garden as an extension. I'm thinking rows of Citrus trees and even some Olives to create a Mediterranean theme. This will also tie in to having raised planters. Using recylced apple crates for the vegetable planters is a great idea and they can sit easily within a crushed granite. A focal urn can sit directly opposite the decking area and you could incorporate an area of large format square pavers around it. These can be either laid together as a pavement or be separate steppers with the crushed granite between them. Here's an example of steppers in crushed gravel with some feature urns. Other good plants to consider are: Lavender, Rosemary, Box hedge, Portuguese Laurel and Echiums. Here are a couple of examples (from google): It sounds like a great project. Best of luck!

I love Irene's photos and the suggestion to build a wall inside the boundary to square off the front angle, with plantings in front of it. This would be a brave move (I would probably get a landscape designer in for this if you go this way). Otherwise (I haven't read the previous comments, apologies in case I repeat or contradict), I would plant a fuller medium sized tree in the front right side (the deepest part), though centred, not in the point itself! Something like a full Manchurian Pear (though be committed to pruning it to keep it from growing too large, they don't grow too fast, it should be manageable - otherwise try a pretty Snow Pear (my favourite!) or a Bradford for a more compact but pretty shape - you can even pleach (ie take off the lower branches to keep the first metre of trunk nice and bare for a more sculptural look), or if you want something that will keep more compact without too much trouble, a beautiful crepe myrtle (Ilove the white Natchez variety) makes a lovely sculptural feature tree. You can underplant this with a square garden bed with star jasmine (just keep it trimmed to shape) and they look amazing with some under lighting at night (easy DIY kits available these days). Then along the right fence line I would add plantings to keep it private and looking lovely, again I would go Chanticleer ornamental pear (or Capital are even more narrow but I don't love them, though they're very popular). Again you can underplant with hardy, quick growing and low maintenance star jasmine. Then along the driveway on the right side, plant something lower and along the left side (if you have soil here), plant Sweet Viburnum (I love this, we've planted the Dense Fence variety), again, quick growing, beautiful foliage and low maintenance.

I agree, if you want a lovely deep green I love Viburnum Dense Fence, if your nursery doesn't carry it they can order it in from ozbreed. It ticks all your boxes, is hardy, good in most soil types and conditions (we're in Melbourne), grows to a good height, grows quickly. https://www.ozbreed.com.au/hardy-exotic-range/dense-fence-viburnum-is-a-dense-screening-hedge-with-subtle-red-new-growth-foliage-hardy-exotic-range/  Ours has tripled in size and is very thick over almost 18 months, it's been really easy and I love the vibrant foliage colour. This variety isn't as glossy as some sweet Viburnum and the leaves are slightly smaller. I think the magnolia will be too sparse if you need it for privacy, I'm not familiar with your 2nd suggestion, and the lily pillies I see everywhere now and yes can have problems!