Don visited Gabriel Rosati, who has a very curious water feature in her backyard. The sloping block was too small for a lap pool or a swimming pool, so Gabriel came up with the idea of a stream instead. But this is no ordinary stream. It bubbles and gurgles alongside the deck, splashes down over colourful steps, gushes through millstones, past various sculptures, marine artefacts and other fun, whimsical things. Many of the recycled marine items were bought from Kotton Patterson, who used to run a junkyard in Annandale, Sydney (Kotton’s junkyard was featured on Burke’s Backyard in 2000).
This garden is well utilised by the occupants of the house. The kids play in the stream in summer, while the adults sit beside it and chat, read and draw. The areas around the stream are planted with colourful tropical-style plants, including palms, hibiscus, cannas and frangipani. In fact, the whole garden has the timeless, laid back feel of a holiday resort.