The moment a pool is removed from a Southern Highlands backyard, something shifts. The space that was a chemical-management project, a compliance obligation and a maintenance commitment becomes simply: a garden opportunity. The scale of that opportunity depends on the size of the pool area, often 30-80 square metres of now-usable space, and what you choose to do with it.
The Southern Highlands offers some of the best garden-growing conditions in Australia. Cool winters, reliable spring rainfall, a rich volcanic soil base in parts of the region, and a climate that supports plants simply not possible in coastal NSW. This guide explores the most rewarding landscaping options for the space after your pool is removed.
Quick Answer (BLUF)
The most popular post-pool landscaping choices in the Southern Highlands are: a formal lawn area (leveraging the flat space and cool-climate grass-growing conditions), a productive kitchen garden or orchard (ideal for the rural-residential character of many properties), a formal or cottage garden aligned with the property’s architectural period, and outdoor entertaining spaces. All four options are more rewarding and lower-maintenance than the pool they replace.
Before You Start: The Soil Situation
The ground beneath a pool is different from undisturbed garden soil. After removal, you’ll have:
- Backfilled material (crushed concrete, imported fill, compacted subsoil), not ideal growing medium at depth
- A topsoil layer added by the contractor at the surface, typically 150-200mm of clean soil
- Potential for some minor settlement in the first year as the backfill consolidates
For most garden designs, the 150-200mm topsoil layer is sufficient for establishing lawn and most planting. For a productive vegetable garden or raised beds, you’ll want to add organic matter (compost, aged manure) to improve soil biology before planting. Our soil settlement guide explains what to expect in the first year. If your old pool footprint sits in a natural low point of the yard, it’s also worth reading our guide to cold-climate garden design over a filled pool, which covers frost pockets and plant selection for that specific microclimate.
If the contractor used crushed concrete as the sub-base, note that it can be slightly alkaline, test the pH of the topsoil before planting acid-lovers like azaleas or camellias.
Option 1: Formal Lawn Area
Perhaps the simplest and most elegant transformation: a flat, green lawn where the pool once sat. In the Southern Highlands, lawns thrive in a way they can’t in coastal areas. Cool-season grasses like tall fescue, ryegrass blends and Kentucky bluegrass perform beautifully in Highlands conditions and stay green through summer without the stress of coastal heat.
A formal lawn panel framed by clipped hedges, garden beds or a simple stone edge creates an immediately polished result. For heritage properties in Bowral or Berrima, a formal lawn area is architecturally appropriate and reinforces the garden character of the home.
Planting timing: Cool-season grasses establish best when sown in autumn (March-May) or early spring (September-October), avoiding the Highlands’ coldest winter period. If you’re removing the pool in summer, consider a temporary ground cover to stabilise the backfill surface before seeding in autumn.
Maintenance: A Highlands lawn is lower-maintenance than a pool, mowing when needed, occasional fertilising, and minimal irrigation once established. Compare this to the year-round chemical management of a pool.
If you want more than a simple lawn panel, some Highlands owners use the old pool footprint for a genuinely flat backyard tennis hit-up area or a proper croquet lawn, both of which need a noticeably tighter levelling tolerance than an ordinary lawn. See our guide to precision levelling for a lawn tennis or croquet flat after pool fill for what changes in the backfill specification to achieve that.
Option 2: Productive Kitchen Garden
The Southern Highlands’ climate is ideal for productive growing. The cool summers that frustrated pool use are perfect for extended brassica, root vegetable and leafy green seasons. The reliable autumn and spring rainfall reduces irrigation demands. And the volcanic basalt soils in Robertson and Burrawang areas are some of the most fertile in NSW.
A productive kitchen garden in the pool footprint might include:
Raised beds: Timber or Cor-Ten steel raised beds built on the flat pool area offer ideal growing conditions, you control the soil quality, drainage is good on a flat, well-compacted base, and the defined structure looks intentional and neat. Four 1.5m x 3m raised beds can supply a family with year-round vegetables.
Espaliered fruit trees: The sheltered walls around many Southern Highlands backyards create ideal microclimates for trained fruit trees. Apples, pears, quinces and plums all perform excellently in the Highlands. Espaliered against a north-facing fence or wall, they maximise the growing potential of limited wall space.
A greenhouse or glasshouse: For keen growers, the flat, sunny pool footprint is also a strong site for a greenhouse, extending the growing season well beyond what the open Highlands garden allows for seedlings, tender crops and potted citrus. Our dedicated guide to building a greenhouse over the old pool footprint covers the backfill and compaction standard a greenhouse needs and how that differs between a full removal and a partial fill-in.
Berries: Cool-climate berries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, blueberries, grow exceptionally well in the Southern Highlands. A berry section in the pool area, framed by a simple post-and-wire structure, is productive from the second year and impressive in both flower and fruit.
Option 3: Formal Garden or Entertaining Area
For properties where outdoor entertaining is the priority, the pool area can become a structured garden room:
A paved entertaining area using natural stone (bluestone, sandstone or basalt pavers appropriate to the region) creates a generous outdoor dining and entertaining space. Combine with a pergola or covered structure for year-round use, essential in the Highlands where alfresco dining in full sun is only comfortable for part of the year.
A garden room defined by clipped hedges and formal planting creates a destination within the garden, a place to sit, read, or entertain that has genuine design intent. Formal clipped Box hedges, topiary specimens and a focal point (a birdbath, sculpture or ornamental tree) create a garden room that rewards looking at from the house.
A fire pit or fireplace area is particularly suited to the Southern Highlands’ cool climate. An outdoor fire pit or chiminea, surrounded by paving and seating, extends outdoor use through autumn and into winter, something a pool never provided. Our dedicated guide to fire pit and outdoor room conversions for Highland winters covers design options, the compaction standard a paved fire pit area needs, and setback basics before you build.
Option 4: Orchard or Food Forest
For larger properties, rural-residential blocks in Robertson, Bundanoon, Exeter or Burrawang, the pool area may be a relatively small part of a larger landscape canvas. In these cases, an orchard or food forest approach is rewarding:
The flat, post-pool area provides good planting conditions. Cool-climate fruit trees suited to the Highlands include:
For a closer look at how orchard rows and berry plantings work specifically on a former pool footprint, including how backfill depth affects root development and tree spacing, see our dedicated guide to planting an orchard over a filled pool.
- Apples (the Highlands is apple-growing country, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Fuji, Cox’s Orange Pippin)
- Pears and quinces
- Stone fruit: plums, damsons, cherries (birds may require netting)
- Figs (site carefully in a warm, sheltered spot)
- Walnuts and chestnuts for a longer-term investment
Highlands-Specific Plant Suggestions
Regardless of which approach you take, the following plants are particularly suited to the Southern Highlands’ cool-temperate climate and perform reliably in the post-pool garden context:
Structure/hedging: English Box, Portuguese laurel, Photinia, Yew, clipped pittosporum Feature trees: Pin oak, liquid amber, silver birch, ornamental cherry, crab apple Perennials: Hellebores (perfect for shade under deciduous trees), hostas, peonies, delphiniums, lupins, lavender Ground covers: Vinca, ajuga, native violets, creeping thyme (excellent between pavers)
FAQs
How long before the new garden area looks established?
With the right approach: a lawn can look established within six to eight weeks of seeding if conditions are good. Perennial garden beds will look intentional in their first season and filling in by the second. Hedging plants like Portuguese laurel will provide structure within one to two years. Deciduous trees take three to five years to establish a presence. The garden is always becoming, start planting as soon as the soil is ready.
Will there be any ongoing settlement issues under my new garden?
Minor settlement in the first one to two years is normal. For a lawn or garden bed, this manifests as slight undulation rather than any structural problem, a top-up of topsoil and re-levelling in autumn of the first year usually addresses it. For paved areas, discuss the backfill compaction specification with your contractor before installation, properly compacted fill reduces settlement risk significantly.
Can I plant large trees directly above the old pool area?
Yes, after proper backfill and compaction. The soil profile beneath the pool area (crushed material, select fill, topsoil) is not significantly different from the surrounding garden soil once compaction is achieved. Tree roots will develop in the topsoil layer first and gradually penetrate deeper as the fill consolidates. Avoid planting invasive-rooted species like willows or large poplars within 5m of the old pool boundary, as their roots can disrupt fill material.
Is there anything I should do to the soil before planting?
Yes. The topsoil layer added by the contractor is typically a clean, relatively organic-matter-poor material. Before planting or seeding, incorporate generous amounts of compost (100-150mm) and a slow-release fertiliser. For vegetable gardens, add aged manure as well. A pH test is worthwhile before planting acid-sensitive species.