A MAN says it was a "kick in the guts" to learn he had to disturb the resting place of his parents following a split from his former wife.

The Family Court of NSW awarded Mr Moss's former wife the family farm in the Southern Highlands. That meant Mr Moss had to dig up his parents' ashes, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Not only that, he had to remove two headstones and a memorial garden that sat with the urns containing the ashes.

Mrs Moss fought for, and won, possession of the property, which she "desperately wanted".

The couple separated in 2010, and lived together until April last year with their children.

To the matter of the graves, Justice Stewart Austin reconciled his decision by citing the "transportability of [her] husband's mementoes".

Mr Moss said: "It's a kick in the guts," he said.

"It's not just a block of land or a piece of dirt - it was my parents' home."