Is there life after ponds?

So we just made a small pond in the garden, in honour of World Wetlands Day – Wednesday. https://www.environment.gov.au/water/topics/ wetlands/world-wetlands-day/index.html. It’s about a foot deep and not very wide. Lined with tough plastic.

Any handy tips from veteran ponders? We’d like to find a battery powered pump, for occasional use. Also need to somehow beautify the edges and cover up the plastic. What are the best plant species to incorporate, beyond the obvious water lilly? We want to attract birds, frogs, etc etc. Thinking about putting small fish in, but it seems cruel unless there’s a decent pump involved. Any comments welcomed.

I’d also like to make an actual ‘wet land’ although that’s picturesque dampness on a much larger scale!