Your garden may have been done by now. But here's my bit of inspiration for you. Presuming your desire to keep path is because it is the entry to your house. 1. All along the front boundary, planting a living screen/hedge edged garden bed ... Murraya Panniculata (Flowers have tropical orange blossom scent) 2. The garden bed (under window) on the left hand side of path to become your tropical oasis of planting - consider mass for extra drama and lights along pathway leading to door. 3. Other side - the right hand side pathway ... Using width of "porch/pillar"area as guide, create an edged new garden bed and plant it up to your heart'[s content with tropical style, and in front of that and up to the Murrraya Panniculata hedging pave and create a usable courtyard - with table and chairs to enjoy a breakfast, or afternoon tea - and why not include a daybed for reading pleasure? 4. Imagine the view into the garden area from inside!!

Is it a dwarf flowering gum or a big one? Many gums affect the ground beneath them, not allowing other plant competition to grow there...except azaleas, rhododendrons and other acid loving plants can do well. Another idea is to think of some native grasses, there are some excellent decorative cultivars now that are very hardy too. Some of the small lomandras could be planted in clumps of varying heights and colours, also dianella silver streak would be pretty.

It depends a bit how much money you have. My advise it to work out where you want garden beds, where you want grass. You can use lime to mark out areas to see what it looks like. Lay grass ASAP as it stops the dirt and dust coming into the house. If you can turf is fastest. Go directly to a turf farm, talk to them about the best mix for where you are and your lifestyle and ask if they do different grades. We have very successfully used lower grades. Even with delivery going direct is better. If this is too much start by seeding close to doors and work out as it establishes. This will help reduce the dirt being tracked in. In your garden beds if you are short in money plant up whole areas. It is better to have nothing in spots than sparsely planted everywhere, in other words establish one bed and move on. The exception is trees. Plant as soon as possible to get your shade as soon as you can. If water is ok then try tubestock, much cheaper than pots. This way you can afford more plants. However for a few key trees/plants you might want to spend the extra on bigger plants. Draw up a plan so you know what you want where, including future things like sheds and pools as you don't want to plant trees there. Be careful what you plant near pipes. I know it's hard to find good nurseries and advice as that terrible hardware place has taken over, but it is worth paying a bit extra from a nursery, if you can find one, as you will get good advice which is unlikely from that horrible big place that has put so many out if business so now they can charge more. Good luck.

lilypilys are lovely... I think some more lush green small trees and shrubs (there are plenty of native options) would help cool and soften the hard landscaping. Have you considered a small butterfly garden with a little path of steppers that wanders through? Your little one will love that as they get a little bit older. It will become a special little spot to wander and explore. I've converted my entire front lawn into a nature play space, the kids climb the lilypily and pick and eat the berries, they have a little cubby house they built under the front stairs. there are strappy grass plants and timber pathways that go across a 'creek' of river stones. the kids balance on the river stones and there's a big wooden log to climb. There is no lawn out here, and it seems to inspire a very different sort of play they watch the insects, and look for frogs and the flowers attract butterflies. stepped pavers mean hopping and jumping, wooden timber walkways help with balancing... all in all its still pretty safe though. plants flower regularly, there are bulbs that pop up and surprise the kids, and all the plants are rugged enough to withstand the occasional accidental falling into the garden. grasses that have silky tops, anything with berries and seeds and interesting seed pods things like lilypilys, a small area with river pebbles, the kids love playing with all of that, and lots of little bushes with small flowers that can be picked regularly and harvested into baskets. my favorite cheap and cheerful flowers include dogbane, nasturtiums, calendular, marigolds... herbs with interesting smells that can be crushed like rosemary, mint, lemonbalm. you can even make a safe fishpond in a tall pot... little guppies are fascinating to watch! And a bird bath would be nice. the back yard can be a more of a rowdy rough and tumble play area, but a little front yard can be a special place for wonder and exploring nature. Our front yard is really not a massive space but there's just enough to bring the butterflies and tiny birds and create an extra play option.