St Clair St, Bowral, NSW

The idea here was to turn a drainage issue into a beautiful garden feature. Insufficient drainage infrastructure from the road had created a flow-on impact and water had carved a channel through the entire side yard of the property.

To remedy this, we excavated along the same path and created a sandstone dry river creek bed. Plastic sheeting ensured water would still flow to the appropriate drainage areas, but the sheer volume of stone would slow the flow and control the direction of water even during heavy rain.

Each of the approximately 20t of sandstone was carefully placed by hand, with the sides ‘mudded’ to retain shape and create an easier border for garden and lawn management.

In order to allow ride-on lawnmowers and other garden equipment to get around the yards, two bridges were constructed. To match the aesthetic of the sandstone river bed, and the rest of the garden, recycled ironbark railway sleepers were used.

Weighing in at about 120kg each, these sleepers are exceptionally strong and dense - making it perfect to take the weight of garden vehicles and pedestrian traffic. These were placed on concrete block foundations and secure using steel reinforcement bar.

To ensure a smooth ride from one side to the other, the lawn was reshaped to create gentle inclines on either side, making it a level crossing.

Finally, at the front of the property, a retaining wall was constructed so that a “landing pad” could be build at the top of an incline. This landing pad sat adjacent to a farm-style gate and was the primary location for deliveries of garden materials and other bulky items.

The team thoroughly enjoyed this project (ok, maybe by the fourth day of hand-laying sandstone blocks we were a little sore…) but the result was well worth it. Thank you to our wonderful clients for trusting us with their beautiful property.