In the heart of Macquarie lies the epitome of sustainable beauty in the form of a luxurious natural swimming pond surrounded by an abundance of native plants and wildlife.
Local resident Jennifer Weselaar proudly beams at the sight of her backyard haven she is lucky to call home, but she did have to pay a small price for her opulence.
“I built the pond myself, apart from a couple of young fellows who helped me lift some of the heavier concrete blocks, and while I was running a wheelbarrow of gravel up the steps I miscalculated, faceplanted and broke my finger,” Jen reveals.
“But I’m a lifetime gardener and it’s the best bit of garden I’ve ever done.”
She found the concept of a natural swimming pond on the web and ended up deep in an internet wormhole where she discovered a plethora of different building techniques.
Before installing the pond, she had always wanted a plunge pool or something of the sort, and decided to turn her “tiny, little, useless piece of a garden” into her own perfect wonderland over the course of three summers.
The pond’s striking centrepiece is an old 1980s spa shell that used to be round with a footbed in the middle. Jen says it is very comfortable and would easily fit “five fat middle-aged ladies with their champers”.
The water circulates through a very small, economical pool pump and is drawn up from the ground through a gravel bed with bacteria that cleans the water, with the assistance of specific plants surrounding it.
The plants absorb nutrients from the water which stops it from turning green in autumn when dead leaves fall into the pond. The pump and filter are set on a timer to run while solar electricity is being generated.
As well as being cheaper to run and maintain than a conventional pool, Jen said swimming without chemicals in the water is fantastic – it feels soft and is so clear.
While the water gets too cold to take a dip in winter, she said it could be heated with an efficient reverse cycle heater or covered in a plastic dome.
“The water creates a microclimate in my yard; I’ve just had my pair of crimson rosellas come take a swim and peewees come on a regular basis – it’s an oasis,” she smiled.
“A lot of bees come and take a drink in the summer; I’ve found if I keep my fountains running to keep the water moving, I don’t get mosquitos and the sound of it running is very tranquil anyway.”
Jen loves her concrete wall covered in plant life surrounding the pond, boasting Hardenbergia, which is currently magnificent shades of purple and green, a few veggies creeping over the edge, watercress and water parsley.
She said while the pond does get a little bit of scum sometimes if she hasn’t given it a scrub in a few months, it’s very low maintenance with beautifully clean, crystal-clear water.
Even her dog prefers the pond water to tap water!
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