Living with nature: David Hartney’s lens on The Cape
The vision at The Cape has always been bigger than homes. From day one, this award-winning community has been designed to support both people and the natural environment, restoring the balance of biodiversity on what was once a cleared cattle station.
Today, climate-resilient, all-electric homes sit alongside restored wetlands, native vegetation corridors, and carefully protected wildlife zones. Across the site, rainwater runoff is captured and redirected through a network of swales, ephemeral soaks, and waterways, keeping the landscape green year-round and supporting thriving habitat even during dry spells.
These features aren’t just functional, they’re thoughtful. From the outset, The Cape’s design team studied the movement of local wildlife and made space for their patterns. When it became clear that a local mob of kangaroos used certain parts of the site for daytime resting, the pedestrian path network was redesigned to avoid disturbing them. The result? Around 50 kangaroos still call The Cape home, moving freely through the neighbourhood each night before returning to their sanctuary by morning.
It’s not just kangaroos who benefit. Over 140 bird species have been recorded here, along with echidnas, koalas, swamp wallabies, wombats, reptiles, and frogs. And it’s not by accident. Plant species were carefully selected to exclude environmental weeds and provide year-round food and shelter for native animals. There are no front fences, meaning residential gardens act as seamless extensions of the surrounding habitat. Streets are traffic-calmed to reduce roadkill risk, and cats are not permitted, helping to protect vulnerable wildlife.
These design decisions, paired with a culture of care, are what make The Cape unique. Residents are active participants in this shared mission: keeping dogs on leash, using the designated off-leash dog park, and adopting small behavioural shifts that allow nature to thrive.
Resident, David Hartney, a keen observer and photographer of the natural world. Since moving in, David has been documenting the biodiversity of The Cape through a much-loved photo journal, capturing everything from seasonal shifts in vegetation to the return of elusive native species. His work provides a window into the flourishing ecosystem and the quiet, everyday beauty of co-existence. What began as a personal interest quickly became a shared treasure: his regular journals through CapeChatter which he established in 2020, incredible photography, chronicling the regeneration of the landscape, have become a beloved fixture in the community.
As studies continue to show strong links between nature connection and mental wellbeing, the benefits are clear: when we design for wildlife, we design better spaces for people too.
You can read more about David’s work in a profile by Catherine Watson for the Bass Coast Post here or learn more at Capechatter.com
