Thanks for the feedback tsudhonimh. Regarding the two tan walls. They are actually sandstone block walls that I built myself and when they and the rock is clean they are actually very similar in colour. See attached picture to give you a bit of an idea of a quick clean of the sandstone. Having said that the top wall is not structural and could be removed if it didn't fit the bigger picture I come up with, however the reason it was built was to keep the dirt from falling down the rock every time it rained and also to make it look somewhat more tidy. It is also somewhat of a railing as there is a dirt walkway and then some steps to get to the top rock. I have toyed with the idea of getting rid of all the dirt, surprisingly there is a fair bit of it and due to the weather in Sydney, most plants as well as weeds grow really quickly. I currently find myself about once a month removing weeds, which grow to about two feet a month in height specially in the spring/summer times. I do agree there are a number of somewhat flat areas, and I have been toying with the idea of multi-level terracing with a nice entertainment area. From the top rock I have a view of the city and the nice Australian weather means that we do spend a lot of time outdoors. I was hoping not to just do a boring timber balcony and the recommendation of John Lautner by makeArchitecture in the comment above has helped come up with some interesting alternatives. We have been looking at native plant options, we have quiet a few options for the area we are in and a lot of them such as the aloe vera and the other spicky plants you can currently see grow with no maintenance required except for some occasional trimming. Thanks for the suggestion to describe the garden as "rock garden" or "alpine garden" as that yielded some interesting results when goggling. I have also attached a photo of the house from the backyard to give you an idea of what the existing building looks like. We are currently planning on painting it white, as we have gotten some good ideas for similar barn style house on the Houzz site. This has definitely been beneficial feedback as sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming as it it not the standard backyard. I really wanted to have some ideas of direction before getting a professional to come in and design what the end product should look like as a whole. After I have that I can determine what I do myself and what I get a professional to do.

I would suggest that you have a serious think about what you use that area for the most. Is it sitting in front of the fire, watching the TV for hours on end, or sitting chatting to friends and family??? Depending on what you do the most will help you decide on the style. I think the graphite colour would bring out the colour of the stones in the fireplace surround. Do you think all the cushions and rolled backs on your white lounge in addition to the white and cream together is putting you off too? Maybe a low backed lounge would be better, if you are just chilling in that area. You have plenty of light coming into the room, so do not worry about using darker lounge colour, although I think the black would be too much. My husband and I must have sat on every available lounge in Brisbane before we decided on one that felt comfortable. It took us a while, but got there in the end. Cheers, loken.

I absolutely love rocks.....in my garden!! I have several very large specimens purposely chosen and weighing about a tonne. This bath is interesting but it doesn't look user friendly as suggested in the previous post and if it's real, it would be darn heavy and could not easily be installed on a simple stumped floor, perhaps a concrete floor!! However, that said, it is beautiful!!

Agree with the majority... use hearty plants , that love the dry hot conditions... don't worry you have plenty of choices and colours so there will be colour ! A good organic soil that has been turned well! Plenty of good water between days that at hot... But most of all , your mulch is the key factor here if you don't use a good one , all will end and quickly ... some mulch tend to disappear quickly , some seperate in large water drenching . Because you are on the slope maybe try running Hardwood timber palings from end to end in around 3 sections to stop the mulching sliding . And my choice of mulch Hardwood Chip , not mulch but chip lasts for a bloody long time ! I'm a cabinet maker via trade but love green thumbing