It took determination, teamwork and extraordinary timing to transport a two-tonne boulder from the south western corner of Australia to City Beach before strict interstate travel restrictions were imposed by the Western Australian Government. One day later and the jewel in the crown of this striking coastal garden design would have remained unseen and unappreciated at the bottom of a Margaret River quarry.

While the restrictions were necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19, they presented Align Landscape Architecture (ALA) with a challenge worthy of The Amazing Race TV show. Within a matter of days, our team was able to have the boulder selected, picked up, transported and installed before the borders closed the following day.

The one-of-a-kind sculptural seat now takes pride of place in the courtyard of a stunning, two-storey City Beach residence alongside Australian Tree Ferns from Tasmania.

Our clients are thrilled with their boulder and love the story behind it! It’s just one of the unique, high-spec features of their custom-designed and built garden, which also features large mature trees, native bird-attracting planting and an outdoor entertaining area with alfresco dining.

You can view the full project photo gallery here or check out the video tour.

Video: the two-tonne boulder is carefully craned into the internal courtyard.

Gallery: from a Margaret River quarry to a residential garden in City Beach, the boulder has finally found a place to call ‘home’.