The Great Australian Backyard: A Vanishing Dream or a Necessary Evolution?
When my family traded our house for an apartment in Melbourne, a simple question from my three-year-old son echoed in my mind: “Will we be bringing our backyard?” It was a question born of innocence, yet it touched upon a deep-seated Australian ideal – the quarter-acre block with its accompanying patch of green. As the nation grapples with housing affordability and the future of our cities leans towards vertical living, the traditional backyard is becoming a luxury fewer can afford, prompting a critical re-evaluation of what constitutes a good life, particularly for our children.
The shift from a sprawling suburban home to a compact two-bedroom apartment presented an immediate challenge. My son’s initial bewilderment at the empty space was palpable. Yet, standing on the balcony, gazing out at the corrugated-iron rooftops and the distant Great Dividing Range, I saw a different kind of promise – a compact, urban existence that might offer its own unique rewards.
Currently, a mere 10 per cent of Australians call apartments home, a figure set to rise as governments increasingly look to denser housing solutions to address the affordability crisis. This vertical future, however, clashes with the enduring image of the Australian dream, an image inextricably linked to the backyard. For many, the backyard is more than just a patch of grass; it’s a symbol of freedom, a space for growth, and a fundamental element of childhood.
The Shadow of the Quarter-Acre Block
My own family’s experiment in apartment living has thrown me headfirst into the realities of Australia’s often challenging urban environments. While the apartment is a compact, sometimes claustrophobic space, and fire safety concerns loom large, the experience has also fostered a profound sense of community and connection to my neighbourhood. We’re within walking or riding distance of essential amenities, our commutes are shorter, and we’re spending more time outdoors, absorbing the rhythm of the streets and encountering our neighbours.
But the crucial question remains: is this a suitable environment for raising a child? The notion of the backyard as the quintessential Australian nursery is deeply ingrained. An Ipsos poll revealed that a significant majority of Melburnians still aspire to own a home with a backyard, with only a third deeming an apartment an “appropriate place to raise a family.” This sentiment is not unfounded, carrying echoes of historical perspectives on domestic life and land ownership.
Echoes of the Past: The Functional Backyard
To understand this enduring attachment, it’s worth revisiting the historical role of the Australian backyard. George Seddon, a writer and academic, described backyards in earlier times as “a necessary adjunct of the house serving domestic needs.” They were essentially “rural, a gesture towards functional self-sufficiency,” a place for essential tasks before the advent of centralised services. Even in inner-city terraces, small backyards served vital functions. Seddon wryly noted the historical practice in Collingwood slums of moving outhouses around backyards as cesspits filled, yet observed that “they grow good tomatoes in Collingwood back yards today.”
While children undoubtedly played in these backyards, Seddon argued this was not their primary purpose. It was only after World War II that ornamental gardens took precedence, transforming the backyard into a space for entertainment and display. The manicured, sprinkler-fed lawn, a “symbol of civilisation and environmental control,” became a national pastime. Historian Graeme Davison points to our deep-seated relationship with land, our desire to “occupy their own bit of land, but to own it and to trade it,” as a key driver of this backyard obsession, facilitated by the spread of transport that allowed cities to expand.
The Shifting Landscape of Childhood Play
The idea that a backyard is vital for a child’s development is a deeply held belief, often amplified by media narratives. Parenting blogs and tabloid opinion pieces frequently decry the loss of the backyard as detrimental to children’s physical and mental health, even suggesting a link to the nation’s sporting future. This perspective can lead to significant “parent guilt,” as I’ve experienced, questioning whether I’m depriving my son of something fundamental.
However, this narrative is being challenged. Natalia Krysiak, an architect and founder of the design studio Cities of Play, argues that the obsession with backyards doesn’t automatically translate to increased play. Growing up in apartments in the US and Poland, she experienced a childhood rich in freedom and connection, playing in communal courtyards, climbing trees, and exploring alleyways.
Krysiak highlights a growing global interest in creating child-friendly cities as urban populations increase and awareness of the importance of play for development grows. “There’s so much talk about screen time and so the question that straightaway arises is, ‘Well, if it’s not screen time, then what is it instead?’ And how do we then enable more outdoor play opportunities and physical activity,” she states. Surprisingly, she asserts that these are challenges faced by all Australian children, regardless of backyard access.
Research by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute supports this, finding no correlation between a child’s yard size and their physical activity levels. Robyn Monro Miller, CEO of Play Australia, emphasises that children need access to diverse play environments, interaction with other children, and sufficient time to play. Natural materials and adaptable objects are crucial for outdoor play, she notes, pointing to Japanese adventure playgrounds as an exemplary model.
The Policy Gap and the Need for Action
The current policy landscape in Australia, however, falls short. Krysiak points out that Australia’s apartment design standards do not specifically address the needs of children, creating a significant “policy gap.” In contrast, London mandates minimum outdoor play space requirements for all multi-residential developments. In some Australian cases, the opposite occurs, with body corporates prohibiting children from playing in common spaces.
Furthermore, the quality of apartment construction itself is a major concern. Defects are common, leading to increased psychological distress among residents. Alexandra Kleeman’s research found that while some Australian cities have higher-performing apartment designs, overall standards are “not super prescriptive” and can be applied with flexibility. The push to loosen design standards to ramp up housing supply, such as recommendations to allow for smaller apartments, less parking, and reduced access to sunlight, is particularly worrying, as it prioritises profit over liveability.
Philip Goad, an architecture professor at the University of Melbourne, laments the decline in shared gardens and community spaces in modern apartment developments, lamenting that “we’re not putting the checks and balances in” to ensure access to open space, including trees and shade. He warns that without legislative intervention, “people are going to cook in the streets and cook in their apartments.”
Redefining Play: Beyond the Backyard
The City of Parramatta in Sydney has taken a step towards addressing this gap by creating Australia’s only guidelines for child-friendly high-density living. These guidelines, informed by parents’ experiences, emphasise the importance of sufficient storage, good acoustics (to alleviate concerns about a child’s crying disturbing neighbours), and accessible outdoor spaces. A private communal outdoor space, where parents can supervise children while engaged in their own activities, is considered ideal.
The dangers of poorly designed apartments for children are also significant. Fiona Andrews, an associate professor at Deakin University, highlights risks ranging from falls from unsafe windows and balconies to the insidious impact of limited common space and poor kitchen design on family well-being.
Ultimately, the Australian dream of the sprawling backyard may be evolving. While the thought of my son sliding headfirst into a summer day on a wet plastic sheet across a vast lawn is a poignant image, perhaps the sensation of effortless and endless play can be found elsewhere. As cities become denser and our living spaces more compact, the focus must shift from the physical confines of a backyard to the creation of accessible, safe, and stimulating play environments, wherever they may be. This requires a concerted effort from governments to legislate for play, introduce play sufficiency measures, and ensure that urban development prioritises the well-being of all residents, especially our children, in the vertical future of Australian cities.
