Australian hardwoods for decks: spotted gum, blackbutt, ironbark and merbau
A working guide to the hardwoods Australian decks are actually built from — durability class, movement, colour, supply and the finish each species will tolerate.
A journal, not a brochure
How Australians actually build, keep and live with a deck.
Long-form essays on hardwood and composite, bushfire and salt air, joists and oil, shade and the small courtyard. Written in Australian English for households, designers and builders who want the work to last.
Cover essay
Topic hubs
Read by the work in front of you
What the deck is made of
Timber & Materials
Hardwoods, treated pine, composites and the fasteners that hold an Australian deck together. How to choose a surface that will still look honest in ten summers.
Before the first post goes in
Design & Planning
Sun, slope, bushfire, salt and the neighbour’s window. Planning a custom deck so it earns its keep in the climate you actually live in.
What holds it up
Structure & Building
Footings, joists, stairs, balustrades and the National Construction Code. The unglamorous work that decides whether a deck lasts.
After the barbecue is packed away
Climate & Care
Oil, mould, termites, the wet season and the pool fence. Looking after a deck through Australian weather rather than fighting it.
How the deck is used
Outdoor Living
Kitchens, shade, winter heat, ramps and tight inner-city courtyards. Turning a timber platform into a room the household actually uses.
From the latest issue
Recent essays
Choosing a deck builder: quotes, contracts and red flags
A deck quote is not a vibe. It is a licence, a scope, a deposit and a set of exclusions. How to compare builders under Australian consumer law without treating a handshake as a contract.
Termites and deck construction in Australia
A deck is a bridge to the house if you detail it that way. How Australian termite management, inspection zones and timber choice actually meet a custom deck — without treating a species as a system.
Poolside decks: drainage, slip resistance and chemical splash
A deck beside an Australian pool is a wet edge. Drainage, grip under a wet foot, and what chlorine or salt does to timber, fasteners and finishes — before the coping photograph.
Small courtyard decks for inner-city terraces
A Paddington, Fitzroy or West End court is not a suburban platform scaled down. It is a floor, a drain, a neighbour and a clothesline arguing in a few metres.
Lighting a deck so it works after dark
Night is when a deck earns its keep or becomes a hazard. Low-glare light, stairs you can still see, AS/NZS 3000 in general terms, and the honest difference between solar stakes and a hardwired circuit.
Council approvals, DA and complying development for decks
When a deck is exempt, when New South Wales uses CDC or a DA, when Victoria wants a building permit, how Queensland treats accepted development, and why heritage, flood and bushfire overlays change the path. Not legal advice.