It was to run in October but has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Port News visited some of the village's blooming success stories and discovered a country community facing the challenges of COVID head through connection and creativity.

Read more:

Tim and Georgia Connell are the proud owners of the only known star anise farm in Australia.

"We'd love to connect with other farmers in the country who also grow star anise but we are yet to find them," Mr Connell said.

The Connells decided to plant the spice on their property after visiting farms in Vietnam and China.

They discovered Comboyne has similar features to the overseas locations including its elevated location, which yields a high amount of yearly rainfall and its provision of rich volcanic soil.

There are 100 star anise trees on the Connells' property and they have been growing for the past 12 months.

Mr Connell said the growing process is still trial and error but they hope to sell the spice directly to restaurants and at local markets.

"Certainly we're finding there are a lot of top end restaurants using it," he said.

The smell and taste of the star anise leaf can be best described as liquorice in flavour.

Mr Connell said the spice been used in traditional Chinese medicine and is also a common ingredient in Asian and Indian cuisine.

"The leaf can be steeped in hot water and drunk as a tea," he said.

Mr Connell said the existence of the farm in Australia means star anise can be sourced locally, rather than imported from overseas.

"Even the organic matter from overseas still has to be treated in quarantine," he said.

"There's not really a clean organic source of it in Australia."

The Connells moved to Comboyne five years ago from Sydney and have spent majority of that time working on their garden to bring out its best features.

Mr Connell believes the beauty of Comboyne is one of the world's best kept secrets.

"It's just one of the most stunning places in Australia," he said.

Nola Stumm's vision is to create a garden oasis where people of all ages will be attracted to its charm.

Nola and her husband Colin have lived at their Comboyne property for 25 years.

The garden is symbolic of their many passions as it is where sculptures have been carefully crafted, guinea fowls run wild, native waratahs bloom and avocado trees prosper.

The garden is also home to a number of structures believed to be about 100 years old.

"Originally this property was established as a tung oil plantation," Mrs Stumm said.

The bones of the garden were present when the couple bought the property but Mrs Stumm has worked to accentuate them.

"The garden does pose challenges as the soil is excessively dry in some parts, while other areas can be water logged," she said.

The lake provides a visually aesthetic backdrop to admire when Mrs Stumm is hard at work.

Sculptures are displayed as prominent characters in the garden.

Mrs Stumm's favourite clay sculptures are a couple of guinea fowls which are proudly perched on a high viewing platform.

Live guinea fowls also roam freely on the property, while playing an important role in keeping ticks and snakes at bay.

There are plans to establish a fairy garden on the property for young children to wonder through, while admiring the fairy houses (made from tree stumps) and vibrant sculptures.

The Stumms have been avocado farmers for 40 years and 20 of those years have been spent in Comboyne.

"You have to be pretty resilient to be a farmer," Mrs Stumm said.

"We've lived through fires, floods, famine and drought."

Mrs Stumm said the avocado trees have become part of their family.

She grieved the trees which were destroyed as a result of hailstorms in the area and feels joyous when they thrive.

"They are like my children," she said.

Margie and Gordon Burch's garden is something which has to be seen to be believed.

The vibrant colours of flowers are planted on different levels upon the hillside property, while hundreds of avocado trees line the garden. These features are complemented by a breathtaking backdrop view of the Comboyne plateau.

The avocado trees were first planted on the Burch property in 1999, just prior to when the house was built.

The family now have about 90,000 avocado trees growing across their three farms.

Gordon and Margie Burch eat the fruit everyday and say they never get sick of it.

The avocados are picked by hand, sent to a packing house in Stuarts Point and then distributed to supermarkets.

Mr Burch said the farm hasn't been able to break an even profit this year, due to the cheap price of avocados at the shops.

"Up until now the consumption and production (of avocados) has been in very careful balance," he said.

"It has only just started to fall out of balance this year.

"This is because there are more trees in the ground which haven't produced fruit, than there are existing trees in production."

However, the Burch family is used to weathering challenging times after experiencing hailstorms, drought, extreme rainfall and now the coronavirus pandemic.

They are prepared to ride the tough times out.

"I don't want to go anywhere," Mr Burch said.

Mrs Burch has put many years of passion into creating a layered garden on their hillside property, resulting in a blooming wonder for the senses.

She said Comboyne is special as both tropical plants and cool climate plants can grow at the location.

Mrs Burch had a flower business in Canberra and her specialty was dried varieties.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: