Went for the crystals. That was the whole plan, really, I’d read about the giant amethyst cave, the crystal pillars, the Dragon Egg everyone photographs, and figured we’d go take a look, tick it off, move on.
What actually stuck with me wasn’t any of that. It was sitting outside the café afterward, warm breeze, sun on my face, the valley stretched out below and birds going the whole time. Nothing to do, nowhere to be. That’s the bit I keep thinking back to, not the crystals.
What it’s like inside
Peaceful, calm, well looked after. The gardens are clearly maintained with care. A few stupas and Buddha statues around the place, felt a bit like being back in Thailand or India. If you like nature and quiet spaces, worth the walk around.
We did the Day Pass, 10am to 5pm, $39 when we booked, now up to $49. We’d planned this for our third day before driving straight on to Port Macquarie, so we went early. Good call, barely anyone else there, plenty of room to take photos without other people in the shot. By the time we were leaving, small groups of three or five were starting to arrive, mostly young women, makes sense, everyone likes something sparkly. Two hours was enough to see it all. Stopped at the café inside partway through to eat something and take in the view.
The amethyst geode and Wings to Eternity
The main draw is the Dragon Egg, a 120 million year old amethyst geode you can actually sit inside, purple light coming through the crystal walls all around you. Further into the gardens there’s Wings to Eternity, crystal wing formations built into a mural, one of the better photo spots there. Getting to it means a walk through a bamboo path.
The World Peace Stupa
Walked further on and found the World Peace Stupa. Apparently monks have held ceremonies there and it’s been blessed over the years. Prayer wheels line the path leading up to it, and there’s a small wishing pavilion off to the side. I didn’t think much of it at first, just another stop, until I noticed the queue, adults and kids both, all writing something down and waiting their turn. Turns out everyone was writing a wish on a card, then tying it onto the rope strung around a nearby tree. Hundreds of them, wrapped round the trunk in layers, cards from people I’ll never meet, holding whatever they missed, loved, were grateful for, hoped might still happen. Stood there reading a few and it got to me more than I expected.
Aura photos and Music of the Plants
They also do aura photography, sensors read your energy field while you sit for a few minutes, then someone explains what the colours mean. And there’s a Music of the Plants setup, sensors on the plants turning their activity into ambient sound. Both a bit strange, both worth trying once.
Good for kids too
There’s a playground in the gardens with a crystal dragon and a table made of rose quartz. Ours spent ages picking up loose stones trying to work out what they were. Would’ve been handy to have the Rock Identification App on hand for that, point the camera at whatever they’d found and get an actual answer instead of me making one up.
The shop and the Buddha
Real crystals in the shop, not the costume jewellery kind, often discounted. Their site has a $10 off code if you look before you go. Picked up a $55 necklace there and still wear it. There’s also a Buddha statue in the gardens said to look after wealth and wisdom, tradition is to leave a coin or a stone in her hand, we left two dollars.
More of the region in our waterfalls near Byron Bay guide, or The Sunseeker motel if you need somewhere to stay in town.