Tibetan Monks to Spend Three Months at Crystal Castle
Visitors to the Northern Rivers will have a rare opportunity to experience Tibetan Buddhist traditions firsthand when four Gyuto Monks of Tibet take up residence at Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens near Mullumbimby for almost three months.
The monks will stay at the popular hinterland attraction from 18 June until 30 August 2026, marking their longest-ever residency in Australia.
During their stay, the monks will present a daily program featuring meditation sessions, sacred chanting, Buddhist teachings, art classes and traditional ceremonies. They will also create three intricate sacred mandalas, painstakingly constructed grain by grain over a period of weeks.
All activities will be included with general admission to Crystal Castle, allowing visitors to participate without purchasing additional tickets.
Crystal Castle General Manager Toby King said the extended residency reflected the strong connection the Gyuto monks have built with Australian communities over more than 30 years.
“We are honoured to welcome the Gyuto monks, and this extended residency represents another chapter in the enduring connection while allowing people to engage with the teachings in a deep and meaningful way,” Mr King said.
“When they’re here, the whole place shifts, guests feel it the moment they walk in and to have them in residence for nearly three months, creating three sacred mandalas, is something truly wonderful.”
The Gyuto monks are internationally recognised for their extraordinary overtone chanting, a unique vocal practice where monks simultaneously produce multiple notes, creating a deep and resonant sound rarely heard elsewhere in the world.
Led by senior monk Lama Phurba, who is making his first visit to Australia, the group comes from the prestigious Gyuto Tantric University of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, founded in 1474.
The residency also highlights Crystal Castle’s long association with Tibetan Buddhism. Since 2012, the site has been home to the Kalachakra Stupa for World Peace, which was blessed by Dalai Lama and remains the only Buddhist stupa of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Located at 81 Monet Drive, Mullumbimby, Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens is one of the Northern Rivers’ most distinctive tourism attractions. Established in 1986, the site features giant crystals, ancient fossils more than 500 million years old, subtropical gardens and meditation spaces that attract visitors from around the world.
The monks’ extended residency is expected to draw strong interest from both locals and visitors seeking a unique cultural and spiritual experience in the Byron hinterland.
