A view of the lake

Garden designer Brendan Moar bought a fibro fisherman’s shack just under the bridge at Burrill Lake on the NSW South Coast and after a complete reno that retained the old house’s charm, it is now all about the view of the lake. It stretches from the edge of the deck over a narrow band of lawn and the reed-edged shallows all the way to the sunset. A fire pit sits off to one side, there’s a low bench right on the water’s edge and an invitation to walk right into the lake. My tour group enjoyed a champagne supper as the sun set and the pelicans landed. You can do it yourself: Mary’s Place is on AirBnB.

A white garden

David Glen is one of our leading plantsman, a national treasure of horticultural and botanical knowledge. His garden at Lambley Nursery outside Ballarat is full of fascinating plants, but the most satisfying part of his garden is the most botanically simple. A double avenue of ornamental pears meets overhead to form a kind of cathedral space. A grass path leads through it to a wooden bench. In autumn the beds on both sides of the path are a riot of glowing white windflowers. Light filters through the pears and ripples over the nodding, shimmering flowers: it’s a mesmerising dance.