hi Jonathan I think you have a great space here with a lot of potential. sure it may cost a little but will only increase the value of your house A nice garden and clean up at the entry will brighten your mood when entering or leaving the house With the Australian lifestyle of always being outside levelling the big area and returfing or paving boarded by a nice garden screening of some old walls as well as feature plants will provide you with a space you and your friends will be able to enjoy. Weather your after a formal garden with some nice boxed hedges or a tropical garden could be more appropriate living by the beach. feel free to contact me for advice on suitable plants once you have worked out the theme your after.

Gum trees are provide a stunning canopy to any garden, but as with any large tree close to your home, you need to be mindful of its health and possible future limb failure. Sudden limb failure in Eucalypts is the result of periods of dry weather, impacts on a tree's root zone and subsequent moisture stress. I recommend creating a beautiful native garden in this area with groundcovers and grasses that are suited to the sunlight available. Make sure the area is properly mulched (organic mulch is best) and that you water the area during periods of hot weather. It's also worthwhile having an arborist look at the tree every 12 months of so to make sure it is still healthy.

Hi mluh You've obviously done your research on these products, so it's most likely going to come down to personal preference. As you've mentioned, a natural stone is going to come with an amount of maintenance but the beauty of Travertine is within its variation. Once sealed with a good quality sealer (I recommend Guard Industry), the maintenance is really quite low and most spills are lost within those natural variations. 99% of spills can be cleaned up without too much trouble. Porcelain, on the other hand, can be quite difficult to clean once it's been marked. That said, the external porcelains have a great non-slip texture and are very hardy when used as paving/tiles. I'm personally not a fan of using them as pool coping, but many people love it. Again, both have their advantages and disadvantages so I would recommend using the product that you're happy looking at for the next 10-20 years. - Jordan

Thank you for your comment Malissa, this one was a cracker of a garden that dictated terms to some degree with the lay of the land. By this approach it allowed all the elements to be in harmony. Kind regards Chris Slaughter - Lead Designer www.scenicbluedesign.com.au