Aussies say goodbye to over-sized backyards and lush green lawns

Outdoor spaces are getting smaller and we’re opting for faux grass in a desperate quest for a low or even no-maintenance yard.

Kids playing cricket in their backyard. Picture: iStock

It’s official. Sprawling backyards, neighbourhood cricket games, barbecues and bindies are soon to be a thing of the past. Resesrch commissioned by Amazon shows that the Australian backyard has shrunk (and in many cases dramatically), with three in five Aussies saying their outdoor space is smaller than the backyard they had when growing up.

Even more more dramatic, more than one in four of the respondents surveyed say their land size has reduced by more than three quarters.

Furthermore, a full 86 per cent of Aussies said the way they use their backyard has changed compared to when they were growing up. Cue nostalgic faces here.

Yes, it turns out that modern-day Aussies are more likely to use their backyard as a space to entertain (54 per cent) or a place to cook and eat (46 per cent). A little over a third of responded revealed their yard is where they meditate and read (34 per cent). A quarter (25 per cent) of those involved regard their yard as secondary store area while only 23 per cent of those surveyed said they use their yard as a place to play sport.

Aussie parents cheers over a glass of red wine while camping in their backyard. Picture: iStock.

Time To Spend Up Big

The research also canvassed Australians about their spring backyard renovations.

It found that three in five (66 per cent) plan to spend between $250 and $1000 on improvements to their backyards this spring.

More than half (57 per cent) of Aussies said they will be investing in a new veggie garden, followed by new outdoor furniture (33 per cent), birdfeeders to attract native animals (21 per cent), new lawnmowers or power tools (17 per cent) and new compost and waste systems (18 per cent).

Worker installing artificial turf at a residential home. Picture: iStock.

Say Goodbye To Lush Lawn

Finally, in a truly surprising turn of events, 19 per cent of Aussies admit to preferring an artificial lawn over natural – which could be attributed to another survey finding with 67 per cent of respondents saying they want an outdoor space that requires little to no maintenance.

The research also shows that despite a shrinking footprint, Aussies still expect a lot from their

backyard with more than half (56 per cent) wanting an outdoor space that acts as another room of their house.

Summertime fun in the backyard pool. Picture: iStock.

NB: The research was commissioned by Amazon Australia and independently carried out by Pure Profile Research. The survey sampled 1000 Australians with percentage figures weighted to be representative of all

Originally published as Aussies say goodbye to over-sized backyards and lush green lawns