How a bathtub baritone became the face of Australian gardening
In short: Before he was the beloved, bearded presenter of Gardening Australia, Costa Georgiadis was a clown at Darling Harbour and a contestant in a bathtub singing competition. His journey from a school play to a national institution reveals a unique blend of landscape architecture and community-driven passion.
Costa Georgiadis's ascent to television stardom began long before he joined Gardening Australia in 2012. Before becoming a household name, he explored various eccentric paths, including competing in a 'Bathroom Baritone' competition on the Ray Martin Show and performing as a member of the Hellenic Rebirth Brothers on the talent quest Red Faces around 1989. His early life was marked by diverse interests, from being a gymnast and a rugby referee to working as a clown at Darling Harbour to fund his travels.
His professional expertise is rooted in formal training; he is a qualified Landscape Architect who studied at the University of NSW. This academic foundation was enriched by a decade spent working across Europe, including in Vienna, Austria and Bavaria. During this time, he focused on specialized ecological projects such as rooftop gardens, community composting, natural swimming ponds, and wetlands. This international experience helped shape his philosophy of combining food production, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.
Even as a television star, Georgiadis maintains a hands-on connection to the earth. In his Bondi street, he established a community verge garden that serves as a living laboratory, featuring a street library, a compost system, and a bathtub worm farm. His approach to gardening is deeply personal, influenced by his Pappou, a market gardener obsessed with soil health, and his grandmothers, who instilled in him the importance of cooking and eating. Today, he uses his platform to encourage younger generations to 'get grubby' and reconnect with the natural world.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: My Garden Path: Costa Georgiadis
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