Tintagel in the UK is a dramatic hillside town, claimed to be the place of King Arthur’s Castle. Its namesake in Australia is a hillside property perched on Mt Gibraltar in the NSW Southern Highlands, owned by Geoff and Gayle Cousins. The property is dramatic with a cascading stream, lush, tree-studded lawns, and is home to one of the few sculpture parks in Australia.
Garden delights
But the sculpture park is just one part of Tintagel. The Cousins live in a rough-hewn stone house with a wooden gazebo and a swimming pool. The large informal country garden was designed by landscape architect, Michael Bligh. Every tree is surrounded by a garden bed which makes maintenance easy, simply mowing the lawn into the edges of the garden bed. An outdoor setting nestles invitingly amongst the greenery and curving pathways lead to new discoveries like a stone wall, or the tumbling, burbling stream. The stream is a triumph of landscape architecture appearing like an existing waterway. It cascades over boulders in a series of waterfalls to be collected in two underground storage tanks. The water is then pumped back up to start its rushing downhill journey again. The stream has a simple wooden bridge which takes you back to the sculpture garden.
Further information
Tintagel garden will be open during Spring for the Tulip Festival. Phone Tulip Time Information (02) 4861 3133.