In the Centre of The Main Courtyard.

When we excavated this "crater" eight years ago it seemed like such a good idea at the time.  Now it's a mess. Our original concept for the centrepiece of The Main Courtyard was an underground water tank which would store rainwater for use in the house. On top of the tank we envisaged a large octagonal pond.  Oh yes, and a fountain too.  But combining the functionality of a safe and reliable water supply with the beauty of a fountain seems way too complex.  Simple is best.

So the water tank is going elsewhere and in this area we will focus on beauty alone,  with maybe an esoteric dash of metaphysical symbolism thrown in to spice things up.  But the excavation for the planned tank is still there, slap bang in the middle of the courtyard.  It has been there since 2004 when this photo was taken from the top of the wine cellar.  Now it is ugly, it is unsafe and it is currently filling up with crap,  which recently even included the rotting carcass of a wallaby that fell in there and died. The Photo below shows the current state of play.

So what is the best way to fix up this damn hole?  We are playing around with a few options. Fill it in? Use the hole for a plunge pool? Create a pond and fountain as originally planned? A garden bed with a large birdbath? Even perhaps an aviary incorporating a fountain and a pond?  The plunge pool idea sounds good.  Oh, and a fountain too?