Not the Explorers' tree

 

Not the Explorers' Tree

ESSENDON is very particular about its ancient history, and at the risk of spreading gloom by the shattering of a tradition the author of the district's chronicles (Mr J. McJunkln) points out that the old red gum on the Mt. Alexander Road does not mark the first camp of the Burke and Wills expedition after it left Royal Park on its ill-fated journey.

 

The explorers camped about a quarter of a mile away, watering their horses and camels at the chain of ponds which has since been transformed into the ornamental lake of Queen's Park.

 

The genuine explorers' tree grew at what is now the intersection of the Strand and Robinson Street. The oldest inhabitants support Mr McJunkin. Cr. E. H. Kinnear, who was born close to the explorers' actual camping place, says that councillors know full well that a false glamor has been woven round the gnarled trunk now covered with ivy and standing in the street plantation. He believes the tradition arose years ago through the statement of a councillor, who wished to preserve the tree from the municipal axe, and with that object invested it with historical significance.

 

In Town and Out (1930, July 10). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 4.   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242816383

Councils have indeed been notorious for taking the axe to any well-grown tree, so this story has the ring of plausibility to it.  However, in view of Burke's instructions to blaze a tree along his route, I am somewhat inclined to think he may have blazed the tree in Mt Alexander Rd rather than one off the main track in The Strand, so perhaps both things are true.

For a survey of the known images of the Burke and Wills tree in Mt Alexander Road, see the Time Travellers website.

Burke and Wills tree again

Courtesy of the Moonee Valley Library Service, HER-00102.

On the grounds that you can never have too many photos of the Burke and Wills tree in Moonee Ponds, this one has turned up in the Moonee Valley Library Service Community Heritage Collection which has lately gone online.

This one has a rural flavour to it with the horse and cow grazing quietly in the background.  The young trees look about the same size as in the photo taken in 1910, which is the year given also by the library.   I have added the photo to the article on the Burke and Wills tree in the Time Travellers website.

Burke & Wills photos from the National Library

E.W. Searle collection of photographs, National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4654382.

David Phoenix of the Burke & Wills Web told me about two other images of the Burke and Wills tree at the National Library of Australia which had been misidentified as being at Royal Park.  I have been in touch with the NLA to suggest they review the description of the two photos.  

The photos are interesting because they show the gas lamp standards in Mt Alexander Rd.  By April 1883 the gas lamps had got as far as Taylor st. The tree was further along Mt Alexander Rd, just past Albert St.  The two images of the tree can be see at the Time Travellers website.

Burke and Wills Tree - further details

Having had some very useful comments on the Burke and Wills tree page on the Time Travellers website, and done some further research in Trove, I have reviewed and changed some of the dates of the photos there.  Dave Phoenix of the Burke & Wills Web helpfully put me onto two further images of the tree at the National Library of Australia website (currently waiting for permission to publish them).  These have been mislabelled as being at Royal Park, which is how I came to miss them. The NLA photos have gas lamp standards in them, which had dating implications - not before 1883.

Alex Bragiola pointed out that the houses in the background were built in 1883.  Also that one of the photos was taken looking at Queen's Park, and the picket fence had been replaced by a wire fence in 1915.  The picket fence was built by Council in 1885. It is great to have some help in refining the dates on these photos, so thank you Dave and Alex.

The Burke and Wills Tree, Essendon

I was inspired by a recent post in the Moonee Valley Libraries Facebook on 6 November 2015 to put together a timeline of photos of the Burke and Wills tree under which the explorers were said to have camped in 1860.  By the time photographers began to record the tree, it was long dead.  A search through Trove enables us to give the last possible date to the above photo from the State Library of Victoria Collection as 1938.  (see H91.50/569)  The Essendon Historical Society collection includes photos of the dedication of the new memorial in 1938.

You can see the photo timeline on my Time Travellers website.  If you wish to keep up with additions to the website, follow by email. (See above, right).