2023 Tree of the Year

AMount Barker resident of some 20 years, Julie Hockey is a fierce advocate for her local community and environmental conservation. While accepting that development is necessary, she believes strongly in the importance of maintaining tree canopy, biodiversity and green open spaces, and their impact on people’s quality of life.

“If we don’t have a healthy, natural environment with the right mix of biodiversity, then our health is negatively impacted. It’s well documented just how wonderful it is for your physical and mental health to go and sit outside, and listen to the birds or be immersed in wildlife or nature,” Julie said.

One of her recent acts of advocacy was nominating the winner of the 2023 South Australian Tree of the Year competition, run annually by 20 Metre Trees, a popular Facebook page established by tree advocate Tom Morrison. In a public vote, the tree dubbed Old Man Barker won by a sizable margin after being short-listed by a selection panel that included representatives of the National Trust, Trees for Life and Conservation SA.

Estimated to be about 300 years old and measuring more than seven metres in circumference at its base, the chosen river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is located near the southern exit off the South Eastern Freeway at Mount Barker. It survived construction of the freeway in the 1970s but it is now at risk of being removed for proposed improvements to the freeway interchange.

In her nomination, Julie praised the tree for its character despite being relatively young for the species. “It has withstood the tests of time (storms, lightning strikes, humans) and as such is not the most pretty, well-formed tree, but as a result has many hollows supporting all sorts of native wildlife (possums, birds, bats, insects and reptiles),” she wrote.

“I am nominating ‘Old Man Barker’ because it is a character tree, iconic to the area and one of the last big river red gums in the immediate vicinity. Also, because it is under threat of being cut down at a time when we should be actively moving away from carcentric thinking and designing, and doing things which mitigate rising temperatures, loss of biodiversity and address climate change. To me it symbolises the past, present and future of our natural environment, along with the fight we are having to save our trees [from development] across the Mount Barker district.”

Favourite river red gums under threat

River red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) proved popular with the public in the 2023 South Australian Tree of the Year competition, with specimens of the species taking out the top four placings. However, that doesn’t mean they are safe from development. The overall winner of the competition is at risk from proposals to improve the South Eastern Freeway interchange at Mount Barker. A river red gum at Brighton, which came runner-up, was cut down even while votes were still being counted. Another tree at Clapham, voted into fourth place, is still standing after the Mitcham Council rejected an application to remove it in 2022, encouraged by strong community support. Fortunately, according to the nominee, the final majestic example at Melrose remains standing in the middle of a road, with councils over the decades wisely deciding to work around it. This year’s judging panel selected a shortlist of 24 trees which was then put to the public vote. Here are some of those trees, in no particular order.

Stangate House, Aldgate

Circumference – 6 to 7 metres

Believed to be Australia’s second largest oak tree and South Australia’s largest, this beauty was planted in the mid-1800s. The extent of the canopy is truly awe-inspiring. It provides a beautifully cool refuge on a hot summer’s day, and is popular as a backdrop for wedding ceremonies. Pack a picnic to enjoy in the tree’s shade during a visit to historic Stangate House.

Wrattonbully

European settlers used to ringbark river red gums when clearing land for grazing and cropping, in an attempt to kill them. This glorious specimen still stands sentinel in a paddock in the State’s Limestone Coast region, determinedly alive despite being deformed by an axe. The nominator thought the tree looked like it needed a hug, before realising it was doing that itself, wrapping sapwood arms over the scar and around its own girth – ‘like an exoskeleton of resilience, holding itself with determination to survive against all odds!’

Kingston House, Kingston Park

Circumference – 7.19 metres

Standing strong with branches that resemble the legs of elephants, this beautiful kurrajong is a feature of the grounds surrounding one of the State’s oldest remaining houses, built in 1840.

‘Not only a visual spectacle, but also a wonder to listen to as the coastal breeze blows through the orchestra of leaves that rattle their charm,’ explained the person who nominated it.

Partridge House, Glenelg

Circumference – 4.29 metres

Tucked away in the grounds of historic Partridge House, this golden elm has become known as the ‘wedding tree’ because it is so popular with bridal couples for photo shoots on their special day. Light filtering through its canopy creates a space with a special golden glow.

Partridge House, Glenelg

Circumference – 22.40 metres!

Another outstanding specimen from Partridge House, this unique tree has 21 trunks, creating a combined circumference of more than 22 metres.

Estimated to be more than 120 years old, it is tucked away in the back corner of the garden. Native to South America, with herbaceous ancestors, the species is noted for having soft, rubbery trunks, lending to it being used in the art of bonsai.

Brewery Street, Melrose

Voted into third place, this beautiful tree at Melrose was described by the person who nominated it as ‘a South Australian icon’. Estimated to be around 300 years old, it is much loved by the community and travellers alike. Successive generations have appreciated the local council’s foresight, building the road around it and then leaving it there.

McLaren Vale

Circumference – more than 15 metres

This outstanding tree is listed on the National Trust Significant Tree Register and a local landmark at McLaren Vale where it stands behind the historic McLaren Hotel, near the western boundary of Hardys Tintara winery.

A gift from the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, it was planted around 1868. The person who nominated it loved to play among the buttress roots of similar specimens as a child, and is a regular visitor to McLaren Vale, where his daughter and niece now enjoy a similar experience.

8 EUCALYPTUS MICROCARPA (GREY BOX)

Corner of Adelaide Terrace and Western Avenue, Pasadena

This remnant grey box is an increasingly rare example of a species once endemic to the Adelaide foothills and the sometimes dense woodland that used to dominate the south-eastern Adelaide plains. Nicknamed the Larrikin Tree, it has a dark and shaggy bark, massive trunk, and is gnarled with many broken limbs and hollows that provide habitat, and a shady canopy that emphasises breadth rather than height.

9 EUCALYPTUS CAMALDULENSIS (RIVER RED GUM)

Brighton Road, Somerton Park

Circumference – 4.3 metres

‘They paved paradise and put up a parking lot’ is a suitable slogan to capture the unfortunate future of this tree, voted runner-up in the competition. In February, the Environment, Resources and Development Court granted permission for it to be removed to build a new car dealership, despite widespread community opposition, the City of Holdfast Bay’s assessment panel rejecting the original application, and council arborists confirming it was healthy. In seeming defiance, the developer quickly removed the tree, just days ahead of a scheduled public protest rally. For many this tree serves as a silent reminder of everything that is wrong with South Australia’s tree protection regulations.