One of the great benefits of living in Australia is the beautiful weather. With long, warm summers, you are likely to want to spend as much time as possible in your back garden, and this means that your garden should be designed to be functional and beautiful. A patio area for socialising is a great idea, but which type of pavers are the best choice? Natural stone pavers are always beautiful, and slate pavers have many particular benefits. Here are some reasons to choose slate pavers for your garden patio.

Extremely hard wearing. Slate is a very hard wearing material, and this is why you find it being used in many building applications from patio pavers right through to roof tiles. In fact, once you lay the slate down, it's unlikely that you'll have to replace it at all in your lifetime. From a maintenance perspective, this is a huge benefit. While it is true that slate is generally a paving material with a higher price point, the value that you get from your initial purchase is unparalleled.

Very safe. Many Australian back gardens have pools, and if you have a pool, you need to be extra careful about the materials that you use because some materials can become very slippery when wet. Because slate is a natural material with a porous texture, this is not a worry you'd have with slate. You could happily let your kids climb in and out of the pool and onto the patio deck without worrying for a moment about their safety.

Aesthetically versatile. If you have a very exact vision for your patio and have particular shapes and colours in mind, slate pavers would be the choice for you. Slate is a material that is very easy to manipulate. Of course, cutting slate should be done by professionals, but if you inform paving contractors of your requirements, they are very likely to be able to fulfil your every wish. Also, while slate is often thought off as having a dark charcoal grey colour, it can actually be sourced in many colours. If you want something lighter or darker, or brighter or more muted, slate would work very well.

Now that you know these incredible benefits to using natural stone slate pavers in outdoor spaces, all that's left to do is work with paving contractors to choose the perfect type of slate for your garden.