Explorers tree
Explorers Tree, Katoomba
Coordinates33°42′13″S 150°17′27″E / 33.70360°S 150.29077°E / -33.70360; 150.29077
The tree in 2008.

The Explorers Tree was a Blue Mountains ash (Eucalyptus oreades) formerly located at Explorers Hill (also described as Pulpit Hill), about 2 km north-west of Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia.

History

The tree is regarded as the one on which Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth, the explorers who achieved the first known successful crossing of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales by European settlers, carved their initials in 1813.[1][2] The claim is not universally supported however.[3][4] Further, the tree was not actually mentioned in the explorer's journals and the first recorded mention of it was not until 1867.[5]

The tree died in the 1950s, but the stump of the tree, about 3 metres high and smeared with concrete, remains, located adjacent to the Great Western Highway. The stump was then protected from the weather and vandalism by a roof and a fence.[1]

In 2005, the tree was subject to an arson attack and was slightly charred.[6] In 2012, a car crashed into the tree base from the highway and severely damaged its stone wall foundations and the roof.[7]

In August 2018, a state government heritage grant was awarded to Blue Mountains City Council to preserve what is left of the tree, as well as provide a better understanding of the place including Aboriginal perspectives.[7] The council had deemed an imminent risk of the collapse of the tree's platform due to traffic on the Great Western Highway. Subsequently, the highway was closed, and the remnants of the tree, along with the supports and fence, were removed by Transport for NSW on 20 February 2021. The remnants are now being stored at the Transport for NSW Lawson Precinct.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Katoomba". Blue Mountains Australia. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Explorers tree". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage.
  3. ↑ "Explorers Tree". Blue Mountains City Council. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Low, John. "The Marked Explorer's Tree". Six Foot Track Marathon. Archived from the original on 26 July 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Carving up the Country". ABC Radio National. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2022Timestamp: 13:15{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  6. ↑ "Explorers Tree charred in arson attack". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  7. 1 2 Curtin, Jennie. "The Tree or not to be - that is the $100,000 question". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  8. ↑ Curtin, Jennie. "Explorers tree removed at Katoomba following safety fears". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 6 March 2021.


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