With summer approaching and the January 2026 bushfires still fresh in Victoria’s memory, Melbourne supplier Soilworx says choosing the right stone is one of the few landscaping decisions homeowners only need to make once.
Spring is when most Victorian gardens get their annual refresh. This year, it is worth asking not only how a garden bed looks, but what it is made of.
National bushfire guidance is clear on ground cover. Both CSIRO and the National Emergency Management Agency name pebbles, shells and gravel as the best mulch option near a home, because they do not burn. Councils rebuilding after the January 2026 fires, including Murrindindi Shire, now advise residents to use stone or gravel mulch close to the house.
For many households, that makes stone the practical choice, and raises the question of who to buy it from.
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What to ask gravel suppliers before you order
Not all gravel suppliers describe their products the same way, and that is where most ordering mistakes begin. Soilworx, which has supplied sands, soils, gravels, mulches and pebbles across Victoria for almost 40 years from yards in Deer Park, Pakenham and Werribee, groups stone into four practical types.
Pebbles are rounded, tumbled smooth by water or processing, and shift underfoot. Crushed or graded stone is broken mechanically, so its angular edges lock together and hold on a slope. Garden gravel usually means loose aggregate under 10mm, such as pea gravel. Oversize stone, from 100mm up, is placed piece by piece as a feature.
The difference that matters most is rounded versus angular. Soilworx recommends rounded pebbles for garden beds and water features, and angular stone for paths, slopes and anywhere feet, wheels or water will move across the surface.
A good supplier should also be able to tell you:
- the weight per cubic metre of the exact product, if you are ordering by the tonne
- whether a white stone is genuine quartz or a softer rock that will dull over time
- what delivery options suit your site, including bulk bags where truck access is tight
- whether you can see the stone in person, since colour reads differently in the sun than on a screen
Choosing decorative pebbles for gardens
When it comes to decorative pebbles for gardens, size does most of the work. Soilworx supplies its decorative range under the Stylescape brand, and says 20mm is where most garden bed projects land.
| Size | Soilworx product | Look | Best for |
| 5 to 7mm | Pea Gravel, Utopia® 7mm | Fine, rounded river pebble | Courtyards, pot topping, narrow side paths |
| 20mm | Safari® 20mm | Angular sandstone in gold, yellow and red, known as Tuscan stone | Warm toned beds and paths |
| 20mm | Utopia® 20mm | Rounded river pebble with quartz and mica veins | Softer looking beds and borders |
| 20mm | Oriental Spark® 20mm | Granitic, dark grey and white | Contemporary gardens, contrast with pale paving |
| 20mm | Arctic Quartz 20mm | Brilliant white natural quartz | Feature beds where whiteness must last |
| 30mm and up | Safari® 30 to 80mm, Natural Charm® River Rocks | Larger sandstone and mixed river rock | Dry creek beds, water features, focal points |
Scale matters as much as colour. Soilworx advises 7mm to 20mm for courtyards and narrow borders, and 20mm to 80mm for open beds and larger front gardens. Large stone in a small bed makes the space look cluttered.
Colour also affects comfort in summer. Dark basalt and granitic stone absorb more heat, while pale stone reflects more. For a small courtyard facing hard afternoon sun, Soilworx suggests leaning towards paler products.
Getting the quantity and depth right
The most common installation fault is laying stone too thin. Soilworx’s rule of thumb is a layer at least two to three times the stone size, which is why 50mm is the standard depth for 20mm stone in garden beds. Going deeper than about 75mm rarely improves the look and simply costs more.
The arithmetic is simple: length times width times depth gives cubic metres. At 50mm deep, one cubic metre covers 20 square metres, so a bed 4 metres by 2.5 metres needs half a cubic metre. Soilworx recommends adding roughly 10% to allow for uneven ground and curved edges, and measuring irregular beds as two or three rectangles.
Laying it so it stays put
Soilworx’s installation advice comes down to a few steps:
- Clear all vegetation, roots and old mulch.
- Fix drainage first, especially on the heavy clay soils of Melbourne’s western suburbs, where stone over unimproved clay holds water against plant roots.
- Install edging before the stone, so it does not migrate into the lawn.
- Lay woven geotextile weed mat, not plastic, so water still reaches the soil.
- Spread to depth, rake level and hose down to wash off quarry dust and bring up the colour.
One caution applies to driveways. Loose decorative pebbles move under tyres, so Soilworx recommends a compacting topping over a prepared base for the driveway itself, with decorative stone kept to the borders.
A decision made once
Unlike organic mulch, stone does not break down or need replacing each year, and it does not burn. For homeowners preparing for summer, that combination makes a spring stone refresh one of the more lasting improvements they can make outside.
Soilworx supplies decorative stone and gravel from bagged quantities to bulk loads, with GPS tracked delivery across Victoria and bulk bags for tight sites. Customers can also visit the Deer Park, Pakenham or Werribee yards to see the stone in person before they buy.