A Hardy Central Coast Garden Where the Bush Meets the Sea

With sweeping views over native bushland and out to the Pacific, this spectacular site on a NSW Central Coast headland is sparkling and tranquil one day, wild and windswept the next. And that intimate connection to nature’s rhythms proved both a plus and minus for its garden designer, Adam Eurell of Nature’s Vision Landscapes.

The owners bought the property in 1996. “We loved its closeness to the beach, the bush setting beside a reserve, the jaw-dropping views and the constant sound of the surf,” says the owner. But occupied by a derelict home and untamed undergrowth, it required imagination to realise its potential.

Their plan was to build a home that would evolve into a weekender when the couple eventually returned to Sydney. But with the pressures of their professional lives and the arrival of two children, the site sat idle. “We thought about selling it, but we knew we would never be able to buy such an exceptional block again,” says the owner. In 2018, its time arrived. They enlisted local architect Dianna Thomas to design their long-anticipated weekender and she, in turn, referred them to Adam. The overriding brief for both was for the home to blend into the landscape.

“They wanted to create a sophisticated garden that connects with the bushland setting and ocean escarpment,” says Adam. “The garden had to showcase the natural beauty of the site and add to it, not detract or contrast.”

On such a sloping site, it had to include a series of levels, both open and secluded, to connect seamlessly with the home and bask in the panoramic views. And the garden had a further task. “The architecture was impacted by the fire-risk rating, with limited construction materials and no timber, so we needed the garden to do some aesthetic heavy lifting,” says the owner.

This site presented other headaches for Adam, such as salt-laden winds, sandy soils that would limit the plantings and the logistics of accessing the site by crane. Not to mention the wild lantana, cassia and “solid mat” of undergrowth, which would require removal by hand.

He created a series of spaces in a C-shape, with the home on the inner and the escarpment and cliff on the outer. Not surprisingly, considering the brief, the plant palette is almost entirely native and includes banksias (Banksia integrifolia/serrata/ericifolia), coast tea tree (Leptospermum laevigatum), turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera), coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa), burrawang (Macrozamia communis), mat rush (Lomandra longifolia), grey spider flower (Grevillea buxifolia) and flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi).

“While the planting palette is restrained, the hardscaping brings boldness and strong lines,” says Adam. “The entire garden works on easing you through the landscape to arrive at a final destination at the top of the site, the final reveal, allowing full immersion in nature.”

At the front, a handsome Corten-steel gate in an off-form concrete wall interrupts a striking Corten-steel fence of vertical pickets randomly arranged in a curve. “I drew inspiration from a timber stake fence previously used to shut out bush turkeys,” says Adam. A sandstone flagging driveway winds up to a parking area defined by a mighty gabion retaining wall. From there, a marine-grade steel floating staircase, etched in steel and concrete and leading to the front door, hovers above the garden and passes through a canopy of soapbrush wattle (Acacia holosericea), underplanted with lomandra and dianella grasses.

PLANT LIST

TREES

• Saw banksia (Banksia serrata)

GRASSES

• Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra ‘Mingo’)

FEATURE PLANTS

• Native cycad (Macrozamia communis)
• Tall kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos flavidus)

GROUND COVERS

• Banksia (Banksia integrifolia ‘Roller Coaster’)

SHRUBS

• Coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa)
• Grey spider flower (Grevillea buxifolia)

SUCCULENTS

• Pig’s ear (Cotyledon macrantha)

Past the entry, the garden opens to a mid-level lawn. This area is surrounded by native flax, lime flowering kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos flavidus ‘Landscape Lime’), acacias and coastal tea tree. Then a boulder staircase flows up to a pausing point for soaking up the views, in brown granite aggregate.

Hardy plants, perfect for a windswept clifftop, include coastal rosemary, mat rush, heath myrtle (Baeckea imbricata), red spider flower, flannel flower, coast tea tree and hoary guinea flower (Hibbertia obtusifolia). Wide steps of Corten steel with sandstone flagging connect with the home’s verandah and entertaining area. Further steps lead to the ultimate destination, a clifftop fire pit.

The grassed area, offering blissful shade, is the owner’s favourite hideaway. “That enclosed space on such a steep site makes me feel grounded and gives me a sense of calm,” she says. By contrast, her whimsical “forest” of Corten-steel fence posts makes her smile. “When you walk past that and down to the beach, you feel you are going on an adventure!”.

The Design Team

Nature’s Vision Landscapes: naturesvision.com.au.

Dianna Thomas Architect: diannathomasarchitect.com.

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