Start with ripping out the clothes line and side path, then have another look. Maybe sell the shed, or bury it in passionfruit, or diplodenia, or solea. Maybe even excavate the lawn, and think about a sunken garden with winding paths, where you may step down into your little piece of magic. Everything depends what you want (exclusively native [low maintenance], all exotics, or a judicious mix?), and where you are climate-wise - so best to get advice from local nurseries, especially if you feel like planting natives. Sketch out rough designs that take into account functional aspects as well as aesthetics...perhaps seek inspiration from garden magazines or online pics, perhaps purchase a couple of native/exotic plant compendiums and pore over them. A well-planned garden can be a joy eternal so don't hold back at this stage. Once your basic structure is sketched out and planted up, the rest is relatively inexpensive and gradual. My rule of thumb is to eliminate whatever you can first (and be ruthless), and then look at the space again and again. Then work to your simple design in stages, beginning with advanced trees and layout of paths and larger shrubs (e.g., westringias are beautiful and very hardy natives). Start with the sun-loving specimens first, then use them as canopy for planting the rest. You've got a good start with your 'borrowed vista' of trees and shrubbery in the corner along the north side, and you have room for an advanced specimen feature tree - perhaps your only big buck investment - in the centre or towards the opposite corner (perhaps a magnolia or a crabapple, or whatever is your favourite). Then you could pop a bench under it for pina coladas and other slack pursuits. Space and available sun also suggest possibilities for a shade garden - or dappled sections, especially in a shady corner. You might install a pergola extending from the side wall to soften the bare brick; or you could plant a hedge of sun-loving 'prostanthera ovalifolia' or a tea tree variety down the side of the house instead of a path (do you really need it? why not a winding path through the centre of your garden to your door!). You have sunshine that roses love, so maybe some fragrant old roses, or one or two David Austins, could be beautiful against a sunny wall, or beside the steps. I'd go for little paved pathways and circular beds, lushly planted with native shrubs and ground covers that tolerate both sun and semi-shade. Natives from the local region are usually always a success and grow quickly. Kangaroo paws love sun, and make a fabulously dramatic addition to a sunny garden if clumped. Other native grasses can also be used as features to add design and formality, yet still retain a kind of 'wild' look, requiring trimming every couple of years for luxuriant growth. I seriously would hesitate to repeat the lawn, they are high maintenance and for what? Reduce lawn to a small section if you wish/need to retain it. There are native grasses that can be mowed (less frequently than exotics, such as microlaena stipoides), which would create a softer look if you felt like placing a little formal lawn somewhere, once all your designing and planting is done. In any event, from a basic design, you can fill it all in in stages, as inspiration strikes. Mass planting to a formal design (say clumps of lomandra, or fast-growing shrubs in key positions, or lots of native violets for ground cover (hederacea; there are two types, which will take off and propagate themselves in the warm weather) will save lots of indecision about what to plant; heavily mulch empty zones until you decide on what to plant, or pot things up for planting later; you can always dig up ground covers, move shrubs and replant later (after replacing lost nutrients to the soil!). Best of luck and may the joys of gardening be with you!

Given your coastal location and aims for both coherence and low maintenance, you have a wonderful opportunity here to landscape your garden entirely with natives. As you’ve already decided to start with lillypillies (careful to avoid the variety prone to psyllid - the most resistant varieties according to Don Burke are Acmena smithii and Syzygium luehmannii: http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/fact-sheets/in-the-garden/flowering-plants-shrubs/best-lilly-pilly-varieties/#.Vq0lfMf2PNw), I suggest you refrain from mixing in exotics to any significant degree apart from specimen pots, or other feature items. This way you have control over high maintenance species which should be nurtured for their specialness rather than a becoming a chore to avoid. I spent time visiting friends and family on the Mornington Peninsula this time last year and was shocked at the mindless distribution of what would be considered rampant bushland pests (invasive weeds) in NSW. The entire peninsula seems to boast only remnants of bushland with robust integrity. Agapanthus – because of its hardiness – has decimated vulnerable parts of the NSW bushland (especially in the Blue Mountains), requiring teams of volunteers to hack it out from rainforest and catchment areas in all weathers. Of course aggies are most romantic lining a long gravel path to a mansion, but this does not appear to be your situation here. Forgiveable in past eras, there is now no excuse for beautiful, fire-prone coastal landscapes to be placed under siege by introduced species. A substitute native I have successfully grown is Libertia, which clumps beautifully, is hardy and has a lovely little white star flower in the spring. Herewith some suggestions for conceptualizing a native garden, whose purpose, while often forgotten, is to attract birds and butterflies and to generate beauty and harmony and a sense of peace. It goes without saying that bonuses to the spiritual dimension are the disappearance of weeds and a farewell to mowing. A guiding principle in selecting natives is to select species native to your area first; information is readily available online. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but can save heartache when it comes to planting trees and shrubs that have evolved successfully in other soils and climates yet may fail in yours. Suggest a drive around the area to observe established native gardens to gain inspiration. First off (so long as not near power lines) I’d echo your coastal gums by planting an advanced specimen bang on your front right hand corner boundary, from where you might radiate a rockery. Your front garden cries out for drama, and while a rockery may be your biggest expense, one or two large feature rocks placed among an undulating design can be filled with scattered smaller rocks and a wide range of sun-loving and architectural flowering grasses (e.g. lomandras, dianellas, fescues, grass trees, kangaroo paws, etc), gorgeous flowering native plants (e.g. correas, philothecas, westringias, waratahs, proteas, etc), shrubs (e.g. acacias indigenous to the area), and groundcovers (e.g. myoporum, pratia, and brachyscome, prostrate form grevillias, the beautiful rock cover scleranthus biflorus, etc) will bring endless birds and human happiness. As for shrubs and trees, the choice is endless, thus requiring planning in consideration of the growth habit and life of a tree - which in the case of acacias, may be a mere 15 years. Decomposed granite will keep large and small landscaped areas (such as paths and rockeries) free of weed and also provides nutrients to natives (cautiously spray weeded ground with a strong solution of glyphosate before laying gravel). Be careful not to place too much soil over the tops of roots when planting, as many natives absorb phosphorus this way. Seasol is fine as a wash-through fertilizer after planting, and planting just before rain is due is another handy tip for a nitrogen fix from mother nature. Frequented by nectar-loving and berry-eating birds, the long-lived Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarus reticulatis) has to be one of the prettiest native trees of all, with its grey green foliage all year, feathery pale pink flowers in spring, and blue berries in winter. It can be hedged, but is at its best lightly pruned. It is comfortable in semi-shade, so could be planted as a feature tree out the back, but could also be a stunning success as a hedge from your garage to the letterbox. Grevillias (Mallee Dawn has soft foliage and a lovely pale orange flower) and Callistemons are relatively fast-growing once established and will quickly attract native birds (especially honey-eaters which will then gain confidence to move into other protected areas of your garden; always best to place birdbaths among shrubbery - e.g. the white-flowered Leionema – to offer little birds rapidly disappearing from the Peninsula the protection they need). Victorian Christmas Bush is a mid-height stunner and Isopogon is fabulous planted under banksias and hakeas for a bushy spot. I one saw a gnarled old banksia out front of a house that was probably the most beautiful tree I have ever clapped eyes on, perfectly pruned with its trunk formed like a bonsai writ large). A weeping acacia cognata makes a great corner feature or specimen tree, and a native hibiscus will flower profusely and gloriously in full sun. Shade at back and side cry out for more romance. You might plant native violets to run up the side under a hedge, or to fill a corner rockery out the back. Suggest plant hedges/screens and feature trees first (thus establishing your shade ‘canopy’), and construct a temporary planter box somewhere out the back where you can bring on smaller plants and shrubs while waiting to decide where to put them. The squareness of the back garden can be broken up and softened by strategically placed trees and shrubs, e.g. a large native tree in the left corner, that segues into your lillypillies, under which you could landscape a seating area. You might consider a Kennedia, Clematis aristata, or Pandorea pandorana (Wonga Wonga vine) to cover the side fence behind the garage (and definitely the back shed!). You might add two more callistemons to surround the back shed to conceal it, as well as adding variety and interest. You might infest patches of your back lawn with a native variety, such as weeping wallaby grass (e.g. Griffin). You could dig a shallow trench along the retaining wall and plant a dwarf lillypilly hedge (or substitute, like dwarf acacia cognata) along its length. One might even concede English box for the spot. Native violets/native geraniums (geranium solanderi) will both cascade over the side of any retaining wall, and will prettily flower as well given enough sun. You could plant a white hardenbergia each side of the steps (or even matching specimen eucalyptus ficilfolias!) and consider extending a simple pergola over an entertainment area that looks out over your masterpiece. Trust this inspires a little, Sandman. Keep in mind that the most interesting gardens have three layers: the canopy, the understory and the ground level shrubs, grasses, and ground covers; with the right inquiries to nurseries as to ‘microclimates’ and growth habits you will create a thing of joy – as much in the making as in completion. So far as I know the only other necessary qualification for creating a successful native garden is being a skillful pruner. Natives love to be pruned and shaped, and as long as you ‘prune to the node’, you will prevent die-back and disease, your foliage and flowering will be dense and glorious, and your garden will be the envy of the neighbourhood.

I'm not a landscaper btw so could get some great suggestions coming in. I think your fence is lovely but is crying out for some cottage garden somewhere. Is there something that can grow near that concrete edge to soften it??? Crazy paving would look gorgeous with that fence. Is there lawn on the street side of the gate as that is what I envisaged?

gorgeous location ..consider wide grassed ramps to criss cross the slope diagonally from top to bottom, 1.5m+ plus wide paths will allow for easy mowing and two people to walk side by side...Tube stock is so much better for big areas needing multiple plants and you'll get better results quicker than the more expensive bigger plants ...use mass plantings of the same species like Correas and Westringeas... we had great success stabilizing slopes with a variety of Casuarinas suitable for the local area and fast growing wattles were good to create quick windbreaks while other trees and shrubs became established..(the wattles are short lived and gaps left when they go are filled in by other maturing plants) buying multiple tube stock we were able to economise with deals that included the plants, labour for planting and tree guards for orders of hundreds ..digging trenches (as apposed to single holes) and planting closer together, adding drip irrigation, mulching heavily and using tree guards for shelter and to prevent drying out and/or fences to keep out kangaroos will also help... keep the areas close to the house free of shrubs and garden beds and include wide mown paths as snakes are usually happier to stay in the rockeries and shrubs, don't feed pets outside to attract mice and snakes and, given a suitable area, a dam is always a bonus to create a destination for walking around the garden and giving wildlife their own space and, as a welcome surprise, we found that bulbs and irises introduced some colour in Spring and Autumn and propagation from a few parents plants quickly expanded into mass plantings..happy gardeniing