Planning an outdoor space
A guide published by Bunnings sets out steps for designing a landscaping plan for an outdoor space. It says designing a garden can be a tricky task without a starting point, with a lot to consider, from zoning to seating and from planting vegetation to irrigation. The guide calls the areas of a garden "zones", and offers a starting set: a zone for growing, one for resting, one for eating and one for playing. Those areas might include a barbecue, a playground, an entertainment space, a grassed area or water features.
Once the areas are identified, the guide suggests assessing the conditions and features of the garden to decide where each one will sit. Features to design around include such things as a shed, a clothesline and trees. Other conditions to note are where the sun rises and where it sets, where neighbours are, the wind direction and any road noise. The guide compares the zones to rooms on a floor plan, so the outdoor space can be thought through the way a home is. Its tip is to check permit requirements with the local council before starting.
“The guide compares the zones to rooms on a floor plan, so the outdoor space can be thought through the way a home is.”
Ground cover and plants
The guide treats ground cover as a choice for each area of a garden, saying that the right option matters for a varied and practical landscape. It lists grass, mulch, decking, pebbles, pavers and artificial turf among the possibilities. It suggests weighing how textures and colours interact and how they fit the look of the garden, and thinking about what the space is for: a mulch made for children's play areas, grass for a space for children and pets, and pavers, decking or concrete for areas used for cooking with a barbecue, fire pit or pizza oven, which the guide describes as flammable equipment.
For plants, the guide says to think about the weather conditions, the local climate, soil quality and how much maintenance a gardener is willing to take on, along with how much sun and shade the space gets. It names perennials and evergreen trees as options that need little upkeep and give colour through the year. For households with children or pets it points to plants that are hardy and non-toxic, naming spider plants and camellias, and for keen cooks a vegetable patch or herb garden. Deciduous trees, it notes, bring leaves in autumn and shade in summer, and let winter sun through once they are bare.
Views, water and features
The guide describes a technique it calls "borrowed landscape", which it says is inspired by traditional East Asian garden design, where features already in the surroundings are used in the garden to add depth and variety. A good view or nearby trees might be borrowed in this way. To build depth and texture, it suggests putting the tallest plants at the rear, medium ones in the middle and the shortest at the front. It also suggests thinking about how tall a tree or plant will grow, and whether it will give privacy or screen powerlines.
Water is part of the guide's steps as well. It says proper drainage and irrigation help plants and trees grow healthy and strong, and that a garden graded so water flows away from the plants avoids pooling and root rot. Irrigation, it says, reduces maintenance by keeping plants watered. It names rain catchments and tanks for grey water as ways to collect excess water. Feature areas, such as a bench, a fountain, a pool or a spa, are described as a way to add variety, with the choice left to a person's taste and budget.
About the Gold Coast
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in Queensland, about 66 kilometres south-southeast of Brisbane. It sits on Australia's central eastern coast next to the Pacific Ocean. It is the state's second city after Brisbane, and the most populous Australian city that is not a capital. Its central business district sits in the suburb of Southport. The area was the ancestral home of several Indigenous clans of the Yugambeh people, among them the Kombumerri, Mununjali and Wangerriburra. Europeans came in 1823, the year the explorer John Oxley explored the Tweed River, and the timber of the hinterland drew people to the area from the mid-19th century.
The city grew from small townships, the earliest of them Nerang, established in 1865. In 1875, a settlement beside the passage for boats at the top of the Nerang River was surveyed and renamed Southport. It came to be seen as a quiet retreat for wealthy Brisbane residents. The area had been known as the South Coast, and the nickname Gold Coast came into use from 1950; locals at first thought the name derogatory. From 1914 to 1946 seaside shacks appeared along the coast, many of them made from second grade or disused timber. Canals for housing were first dug in the 1950s, most of them extensions of the Nerang River.
Timeline
- 1823Europeans arrived when the explorer John Oxley explored the Tweed River.
- 1865Nerang, the earliest of the small townships, was established.
- 1875The settlement at the head of the Nerang River was surveyed and renamed Southport.
- 1914 to 1946Seaside shacks appeared along the South Coast.
- 1950The nickname Gold Coast came into use from 1950.
- 1958The South Coast town took the name Town of Gold Coast.
- 1959The Gold Coast was proclaimed a city.
- 1994The City of Gold Coast was expanded to include the Shire of Albert.
- 2018The city hosted the Commonwealth Games.
Questions
What is landscaping?
A guide published by Bunnings sets out steps for designing a landscaping plan for an outdoor space, dealing with zoning, seating, planting and irrigation. It calls the areas of a garden "zones" and offers a starting set for growing, resting, eating and playing.
How does landscaping work?
The Bunnings guide works through identifying the areas of a garden, assessing the conditions and features of the site, choosing ground cover and plants, and setting up drainage and irrigation. It compares the zones to rooms on a floor plan and suggests checking permit requirements with the local council.
What is the history of the Gold Coast?
The area was the ancestral home of several Indigenous clans of the Yugambeh people, among them the Kombumerri, Mununjali and Wangerriburra. Europeans came in 1823, and the city grew from small townships, the earliest of them Nerang in 1865. The Gold Coast was proclaimed a city in 1959.
What is living in the Gold Coast like?
The Gold Coast is a coastal city with surfing beaches, high-rise buildings, theme parks, nightlife and a rainforest hinterland. Waterfront canal living is a feature of the city, and many canal frontage homes have pontoons.
How many people live in the Gold Coast?
The Gold Coast council area had 625,087 people in 2021, with a median age of 39.