Stepping stones along the harbour

The side passage of this Cremorne home was an afterthought — a concrete strip between the house and the boundary wall. But it was also the only approach from the street, and the owners walked it twice a day.

We replaced the concrete with oversized sandstone stepping stones set into crushed granite, spaced generously so native grasses could colonise the gaps. Lomandra, dianella, and blue fescue soften the path on both sides, and a mature olive provides a canopy that dapples the morning light.

The planting is deliberately coastal — silver, grey-green, salt-tolerant. It belongs to the harbour rather than fighting it. Bromeliads and bird of paradise add occasional warmth without tipping the palette into the tropics.