The Explorers Tree was a Blue Mountains ash (''

Eucalyptus oreades ''Eucalyptus oreades'', commonly known as the Blue Mountains ash, white ash or smooth-barked mountain ash, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is native to eastern Australia. It has smooth, powdery whitish bark with rough bark near the ...

'') formerly located at Explorers Hill (also described as

Pulpit Hill A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, acces ...

), about 2 km north-west of

Katoomba, New South Wales Katoomba is the chief town of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, and the administrative headquarters of Blue Mountains City Council. The council's understanding is that Katoomba is located on the lands of the Dharug and ...

, Australia.

History

The tree is regarded as the one on which

Gregory Blaxland Gregory Blaxland (17 June 1778 – 1 January 1853) was an English pioneer farmer and explorer in Australia, noted especially for initiating and co-leading the first successful crossing of the Blue Mountains by European settlers. Early life ...

, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth, the explorers who achieved the first known successful crossing of the Blue Mountains of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

by European settlers, carved their initials in 1813. The claim is not universally supported however. Further, the tree was not actually mentioned in the explorer's journals and the first recorded mention of it was not until 1867. 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 Great Western Highway (also known as Broadway from to , Parramatta Road from Chippendale to , and Church Street through Parramatta) is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathu ...

. The stump was then protected from the weather and vandalism by a roof and a fence. In 2005, the tree was subject to an arson attack and was slightly charred. In 2012, a car crashed into the tree base from the highway and severely damaged its stone wall foundations and the roof. 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. 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 Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an List of New South Wales government agencies, agency of the Government of New South Wales, New South Wales Government established on 1 Novem ...

on 20 February 2021. The remnants are now being stored at the Transport for NSW

Lawson Lawson may refer to: Places Australia * Lawson, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Lawson, New South Wales, a town in the Blue Mountains Canada * Lawson, Saskatchewan * Lawson Island, Nunavut United States * Lawson, Arkansas ...

Precinct.

References

External links

Carving up the Country
- The History Listen, ABC Radio, February 2020. History of the Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Blue Mountains (New South Wales) {{NewSouthWales-stub

History

See also

References

External links