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.

Hi, can you please post photos of that side of the house, and area around it, fence, etc.

It’s the wall colour that doesn’t look nice everything else is fine. Repaint the wall it’s easy and you want regret it , use neutral colours but not light go for darker and for the corner I would plant giant bird of paradise either in the huge pot or if possible in the ground but keep it well away from the wall to give it space to grow and give you tropical look and feel. If you are using pots you can have few of them they won’t drop leaves in the pool.

A few challenges to negotiate here, primarily safety barrier compliance - simplest way is to keep it away from the house have the pool fence lines simple & straight.....maybe consider the fire pit area with integrated built in seating closest to the house, with the pool beyond......resort feel will come from various elements, but typically lush layered planting, balanced surface treatments that respond to an external space that has been "designed" comprehensively to specific function as you would an internal space. Would be worth your while investing in some professional design (an actual architect, not just a landscaper) as these spaces need to be understood as areas to "experience" and this is what our profession specialises in achieving and helping people with....also these areas can become quite expensive so understanding budget and how to manage/distribute it is fundamental to the design decisions Best of luck Cheers PD www.pauldistefanodesign.com