What about pressed, coloured concrete? It can look very nice and is relatively cheap. You can have whatever shape you like if they have the moulds.
Slate for paving costs the earth these days, and sandstone is generally too soft. If there are no quarries in your area, then much of the cost is in freight. We have incorporated stone into our brick paving, and had the sandstone cappings for the wall brought out from india. The cost of labour for the hand hewn edging was something like $1 per hour in India, compared with $60 per hour in Australia. We have waited 12 weeks for it to be delivered.
The stone cost was $60 per square metre - even 30cm thick, plus cutting costs - cut to our specifications, plus delivery.
Our stone came from the following link. I thought it would be mostly local stone, but they import a lot from india. The problem these days is the cost has risen to meet the demand for stone for walls, houses, paving etc. It used to be cheap but everyone wants it now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pyrenees Quarry

I went to the tip and grabbed a lot of paving that had been lifted from the footpath and broke it up into smaller bits to created a crazy path. Actually just bedded them in sand and cemented the bits together. Looks OK though.

thanks sparaxis and lomatia for the ideas.

I'll do some more investigation and see if I can find a local stone place similar to the one you mentioned. and I'll also start haunting the tip.

does anyone know if an outdoors slate path would need to be sealed, or otherwise protected from the weather?

Pyrenees Quarry said plenty of people seal them the first year, and never bother after that. Our stone looks quite OK unsealed, so we aren't going to seal it. I guess it really depends how much wear it is getting.

it would be exposed to the weather, and even though it is a 'front' path, it wouldn't actually get much foot traffic - most people just use the back door!

Hi Wishful, if you feel like a nice drive go up to Noela's Wedding Gardens at Beerburrum. Noela's got a fantastic crazy path made from old concrete with mini mondo in between.
The concrete came from a shopping centre reno, she just asked the people lifting it if she could have it.
The gardens are on 8 acres and well worth a look.
cheers ree

I second (or is it third) the idea of the broken concrete. I have seen it too and it looks fabulous. I am not really a lover of concrete, but somehow when it is broken up like that (especially with the greenery in between) it takes on a totally different look!
Cheers,
Dee.

thanks for the idea - I wouldn't normally go to Beerburrum just to look at a path, but I might put the kids in the car and go for a drive one day in the holidays

Before and after my short 'concrete path' to the tap. The edges have been softened and hidden by small perennials.
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