THE NATURE STRIP

COMEDIAN DAVID SMIEDT TAKES AN IRREVERENT, BUT APPRECIATIVE, LOOK AT THE CLASSIC THINGS THAT DEFINE YOU-BEAUT AUSSIE LIFE 

As Australia expanded, contracted and expanded again from a pastoral nation to an urban one and then to a suburban one, tracelets of green space became irrevocably attached to our houses and apartments. Nature strips were a local government initiative to add some always welcome verdancy to the areas we called home.

Strictly speaking and, at least, initially, it was up to the council to establish and maintain the NS, but these authorities soon noticed an emerging trend. As always, Aussie homeowners reckoned they could do a better, more expressive job than any agency. One that aligned in a more cohesive way with the aesthetics of what stood in the background.

The first type of nature strip owner was obviously the least involved one. In other words, they did absolutely nothing except cultivate weeds, dandelions (which delighted passing kids) and camouflaged dog droppings (which did not).