I haven't been able to grow grass for the 9 years I have been living in my Home. I really want to fix my yard and make it better for my wild birds that I love so much...My yard is horrible to look at any ideas would be honored...
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Adelene . It is wonderful to have you with us and many thanks for your question on establishing a lawn.
From your photos, it certainly looks like the soil has become heavily compacted. Nine years without much grass growth suggests I'd concentrate on improving the soil before trying to establish another lawn.
I'd start by using a garden fork, aerator, or mechanical cultivator to open up the compacted ground. You could then spread around 50–100mm of good-quality lawn soil over the area and work some organic matter into the existing soil. This will give new grass roots a much better environment to establish in.
Before choosing grass, I'd also look at how much direct sunlight the yard receives during the warmer months. If the tree and surrounding fences keep much of the area shaded, you'll need to select a more shade-tolerant lawn variety. In particularly shady areas, it might be worth considering garden beds, mulch or another groundcover rather than fighting to establish lawn everywhere.
Once you've prepared and levelled the area, I'd suggest laying Buffalo turf. Buffalo is a particularly good choice for a backyard like this as it's relatively tough, handles some shade better than many other lawn varieties and, once established, forms a dense lawn that can cope well with general family use.
The large tree will still compete with the lawn for water, so regular deep watering while the new turf establishes will be particularly important. With some preparation, I think you could make a dramatic improvement to this area. Here's a helpful step-by-step guide: How to lay turf.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
