How a determined English woman planted the seeds for beloved flower festival

Once a rubbish-filled paddock, Corbett Gardens in Bowral was opened in 1914 after Ada Corbett campaigned for a public garden with a bandstand at its centre.

For generations, it has been a place for locals to gather and enjoy the NSW Southern Highlands seasons.

For more than six decades, it has also been home to the Tulip Time Festival.

According to local historian Linda Emery, Ada Corbett moved to Australia to help her sister run a ladies' college at Burradoo Park.

"She married a naval commander called Watties Corbett, had one daughter and he then died almost straight away, so she was left a widow with a child very early on," Ms Emery said.

After moving to town, Ms Corbett began campaigning to beautify Bowral.

"The paddock near her home, where the Corbett Gardens were established, was pretty terrible," Ms Emery said.

"Called Denmead's Paddock, it was full of rubbish and an eyesore."

Ms Corbett appealed for government help in 1910, and the council acquired the land the following year.

The gardens were named after her in 1914, although by that time she had already moved to Norfolk Island.

Tulip Town

Tulip Time began in 1961 with a Rotary Club donation of 500 bulbs.

It has since become one of Australia's best-known flower festivals.

Although Linda Emery loves Tulip Time, she avoids the gardens during the festival.

"There's too many people there, and I think most locals tend to not go to town during Tulip Time because you can't get a parking spot," she said.

"Other than that, I think it's terrific for the town because it brings people to area and makes them aware of the other things we have to offer."

Pretty as a picture

Sourced annually from Tasmania, the bulbs are chosen for their differing features, with 40 varieties included in this year's festival.

"We've got mixes of orange and yellows called strong golds, and the Fabio, which is one of my favourite bulbs," said Fabian Monteleone, head of the horticulture crew at Wingecarribee Shire Council.

Cockatoos, possums and rats have been known to damage the displays, leaving the gardening crew to replace plants and protect those that remain.

Mr Monteleone joked that he became a "movable scarecrow" as he tried to keep wildlife away from the flower beds.

"This is just gardening and we've got to adjust to nature, to the seasons and to the wildlife," he said.

"I've got photos of my mum walking through here in the 60s and to think of the amount of people that have come here and used this park, it's very special, and I'm quite proud to be working here.

"But it's quite a tired park, there's been a lot of foot traffic, so after this festival, I hope that Corbett Gardens will be having a rest for a couple of years."

Then and now

A recent review of Tulip Time recommended keeping the festival at Corbett Gardens while spreading more activities across the Southern Highlands to ease pressure on the park.

The review found the gardens were deteriorating under the weight of the event, which drew more than 70,000 attendees in both 2024 and 2025.

It also found some locals felt Tulip Time had become more of a tourism product than a community celebration, and that the council needed better evidence of its economic benefits and its effect on residents.

With some trees at least 100 years old, new features are taking shape across the park.

"We're losing centrepieces like the beautiful crab apple that came down in a storm last year, so it's important we're planting for future generations to enjoy as well," Mr Monteleone said.