BY THE BILLABONG

AN UGLY DAM, WHICH ONCE SPOILT THE VIEW ON THIS SPRAWLING VICTORIAN PROPERTY HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A SPECTACULAR NATIVE HABITAT, FULL OF LIFE

- KYLIE JACKES

Sweeping views of Victoria’s Yarra Valley greet Sharon and husband George each morning from their 10-acre property, which has changed immensely over the decades the couple have called it home. “It was originally an orchard with a big dam in the middle of the block,” recalls Sharon, a keen gardener, who initially worked with garden designer Jim Fogarty to landscape around the house and bring in an abundance of different plant varieties. “When we demolished the house and rebuilt, the garden was greatly impacted.”

The outlook from the new house was also hampered by the dam, which remained an eyesore. The solution was devised by landscape designer Phillip Johnson and his team, who in 2010 began transforming the dam and surrounding acre of land into a native haven.

“The build took about three months and involved draining the leaking dam, rebuilding the dam wall with clay and bringing in tonnes of boulders from a local quarry, which were strategically placed with a crane,” Phillip explains. A recycled timber jetty and bridge were constructed over the dam, which morphed into a billabong filled with water plants, mound garden beds and a tranquil waterfall that was created as a focal point and also aids in water aeration. The clay banks spring to life with pockets of native plants providing stunning foliage, colour and habitats for abundant bird life, small mammals, turtles and countless varieties of frogs. Meandering pathways were also woven into the design, adding to the organic free flowing feel of the vast landscape.