Gardens with a long view.

The hills at Montecollum had been cleared for grazing and banana farming when Mal Cooper built a house here in 1980, with a round central building, four wings and reflecting ponds designed by the architect Edwin Kingsbury.

In 1986 the King family took over the property. Naren King’s crystal business and a small shop brought the first visitors, and the first trees of the gardens were planted the same year.

• Read the history of Crystal Castle→

In early 2010 the King family travelled to Dharamsala for an audience with the Dalai Lama, who gave his blessing for a Kalachakra stupa dedicated to world peace. The Gyuto Monks of Tibet blessed the site in December 2010 and performed the rituals at each stage of the work.

The eight-metre stupa was opened on 27 October 2012 by Sonam Dagpo, the Dalai Lama’s representative in Australia, before almost 1,500 people. At its heart is a Tree of Life inscribed with mantras, with prayers hand-rolled at Gyuto Monastery in India.

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Major work on Shambhala Gardens began in 2005 with a local nursery’s whole collection. Subtropical plants and native flora now grow side by side, and rose quartz lines many of the paths.

The giant crystals came later: the Crystal Guardians and the Enchanted Cave arrived from South America after a journey in 2016, and the Crystal Labyrinth, inspired by Chartres Cathedral, was created in 2024. The History page offers a longer introduction.

• Read the history of Crystal Castle→