HU, I've replied to old posts, sometimes the related questions that appear can be confusing and the date can be overlooked, it happens, I think many of us have done it, so don't worry about it. Thing is, if the original poster is no longer following and if other people looking for inspo are more likely to get advice by starting a question of their own than getting lost in an old discussion and if people willing to reply waste time reading through before noticing the question is 7 years old, and it brings it back to the first page making it more likely more people will mistake it for a recent discussion, I'm not sure how productive any of that is, so I appreciate the 'old post' advisory, and in that spirit since I've now added to the conversation I'll draw to others' attention that this is an OLD POST

Whatever you do never plant a gum! They have no place in suburban areas! The sooner the council realises that these trees kill people the better! We have had two gum trees fall on the back of our house now, one in 2012 and one in 2014. We are so lucky that myself, my husband, three children, three dogs, five Guinea pigs, two parrots and one bearded dragon were not injured. It's just a miracle not once but twice! I still don't know how we escaped unharmed. The gums do not have a stable root system and they grow very shallow, they get to the point where they just fall over. And the scary thing is they fall silently. They are not called 'Widow Makers' in the bush for no reason. I like the Tuckeroo tree, not sure of scientific name. They grow with a straight trunk and keep their foliage in a straight and symmetrical line along the bottom and grow hiding their branches. Essentially they look like a large mushroom. They are green all year too. I think they get to about 6 metre or ten if they have to reach for the sun.

genus name is Prunus

Plant Eucalpyts at your peril and have fun getting things to grow under them. Low maintenance? Northern Tassie yeah? Retaining wall across the front set back 1m from front boundary with a return either side(height? I don't know your levels but 1 to 1.2m is always a good height and needs no engineering detail). Scoria or white pepple, multi coloured stone between nature strip and base of wall. Above retaining wall a mass planting of succulents amongst another stone bed with some semi mature shrubs that grow well in your locality. Wide as you like it in regards to the garden bed above the wall with stepping stone(big paver, non invasive ground covers in confined squares ect) access to it and through it. One specimen tree in centre of garden(no...not a gumtree. Got a farm? Yes? Then you can plant a gumtree). Various really large pots with specimen plants in them placed up near your front entrance. A detailed plan could be done with much more info but you'll have to contact a local landscaper for that.(and plant advice and try to get an idea of where you plant/tree choices will be in 10 years even your not there) .