Web Master:
A glass roof in Australia - no go. Simple answer really. Way to much sun, therefore way too hot, even if it was open-walled and just a roof. Admittedly the sun would go behind the house in the afternoon, but you'll have fried in the meantime. Your first idea of paving the area with a Vergola (pergola with slanting and moveable slats) seems perfect. Glass rooms or conservatories were originally used in Northern European homes to capture the sun's warmth in their relatively cool climate, and they do work very well there, a very nice concept that extends their indoor living out. The same goes for Greenhouses - they love them in England but you rarely see them here as they get too hot to be useful.