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Through two owners across 15 years, we’ve guided this Sydney garden's evolution from a wet, unusable space to its latest incarnation, which harnesses the site’s unique character and takes it to the next level.

These steep harbourside sites present their own set of challenges, with their honey-coloured sandstone outcrops and a shortage of level, useful space. Our client's brief was simple; to create a beautiful garden with as much flat space as possible.  A garden you’d never want (or need) to leave, where the owners could entertain, dine, relax, exercise – and practice golf.  To achieve this, we used gabion walls and concrete terraces to create multi-functional outdoor living spaces.

The elongated block needed a destination place, to create flow and purpose.  The client’s golf hut and associated practice green and bunker filled the bill nicely.  Its swathe of brilliant green grass anchors the garden and draws visitors to explore gardens extensive features.

Bates Landscape Design
Sub Tropical Pleasure Grounds - A Garden Tour by Drone of a Michael Bates designed garden in Sydney
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens

Professionals used in
Sub Tropical Pleasure Gardens

About the
Professional

Bates Design is the culmination of a lifetime of creating breathtaking landscapes for owner Michael Bates. Our focus is on creating unique spaces informed by the lifestyle and aesthetic of our clients, as well as the features and nuances of each individual site.

A proud ‘garden agnostic’, for Michael gardening is akin to a religious experience. Our clients - who are lucky enough to live in properties where most people only dream of holidaying - are equally as devoted. They don’t believe in compromising when it comes to the vision for their homes and we’re privileged to make their garden dreams come true.

With six designers boasting a combined 40+ years of design experience, we have long appreciated the power of garden design to enrich lives. In partnership with Bates Landscape, we offer a complete solution from initial sketches to a living, breathing masterpiece.