Australia’s Old Growth – a colonial legacy
Monday, May 14th, 2012
River Red Gum
(click image to enlarge)
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Play music by Australia’s David Hyams:
[Music source: ^http://www.milestogo.com.au/]
Myrtleford’s 200+ year old River Red Gum
(Eucalyptus camaldulensis)
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Native to riverine valleys particularly of heavy clay soils along river banks and on floodplains subject to frequent or periodic flooding across riverine northern Victorian and southern New South Wales.
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Most Australian trees, like native Australians, have otherwise been despised and slaughtered by Colonists…
Indigenous Australians
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The township of Bright before the exotic trees.
In the 1890s when colonial miners exploited North East Victoria..
the Red Gum would have been just 80 years old.
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The ‘Penny Tree’
[Fumina, East Gippsland, Victoria, 1908]
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..”As a result of the devastating bush fires which raged through Gippsland some 18 months ago, this Settler in the Fumina district was unfortunate enough to lose his home, and afterwards took shelter in this big hollow tree.
The space available was enough for 2 large beds, tables, chairs and sundry other furniture. Under the deft fingers of “The Lady of the Tree” it soon transofrmed into a comfortable home for the Family, until eventually replaced by a 6 roomed home some time later.”
[Source: The Weekly Times, 1908]
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Victorian colonists driving ‘COLONIAL PROGRESS‘
(click image to enlarge)
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