Lisa Harper Designs was commissioned to design a sustainable native garden for a coastal home at Barwon Heads on Victoria’s beautiful Bellarine Peninsula. It was important to the owners to be able to enjoy the distinctive surroundings as well as have a low-maintenance, attractive and environmentally friendly garden to share with family and friends.

Located on the 13th Beach Golf Course Estate (home of the Victorian Open and one of Australia’s most prestigious courses), the property was subject to strict development and landscaping controls aimed at maintaining the fragile coastal environment and boosting biodiversity.

Using the limestone clifftop location as inspiration, mixed indigenous native plantings were combined with Australian and locally sourced landscape materials to revive the entrance and bring the gardens to life. Materials included hardwood timber coastal fencing, sandstone and privacy-enhancing brush fencing at the side perimeters.

To reflect the family's passion for golf, the exterior and gardens also need to feature purpose-built amenities – including a native ground cover turf mound to hide the golf cart garage (as stipulated by the Golf Course Planning Authority), a putting green and a series of recreation areas for seasonal use.

Enhancing the gardens for everyday use was an important consideration, as was rejuvenating all external areas of the property so they could be used for entertaining – from drinks and dinners to post-golf gatherings. To achieve this, curves were incorporated to soften the surroundings, and a new pergola, BBQ and fire pit were added to the entertaining and alfresco areas.

The owners were delighted by this unique and creative garden redesign and the enormous amount of comfort and practicality that it has added to their home.