OLDEST PINE TREE IN BLACKWOOD – Pinus radiata
Courtesy Margot Hitchcock, Historian for the Blackwood & District Historical Society.
Pine tree at Sports Ground near the Sports Pavillion, with my daughter and grandaughter February 2008. courtesy Margot Hitchcock.
Township of Blackwood showing Sports Ground and big pine tree. Photographer N.J.Caire. C.1899. N.J. Caire (Nicholas John), 1837-1918.
Original photo from a post card from Emma Hosking, Blackwood c.1899 courtesy of the late Wendy Male.
Among the photographs of Nicholas John Caire are some of the finest images ever captured of the Australian landscape. Between 1875 and 1905 Caire explored the Victorian countryside to photograph for the commercial market. Lone figures dwarfed by luxuriant tree ferns, crystal waterfalls in forest frames, rustic dwellings with their solitary inhabitants – all convey Caire’s deep love of the bush he photographed and reveal the mastery of his art. Caire’s early photographs were made one at a time by the labour-intensive wet collodion process. By the end of his long career they were mass produced in books and newspapers, and as postcards. His images had popular appeal. They were among the most widely published late nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia photographs. (Ref – Pitkethly, Anne.) Nicholas Caire took two known photographs in Blackwood.
HISTORIC PINE TREE IN BLACKWOOD.
By Margot Hitchcock, Historian for the Blackwood & District Historical Society
One of the most oldest and historical trees in Blackwood would have to be the big old pine tree at the Sports Ground at Blackwood.
In 1989 the Blackwood & District Historical Society received a letter from the National Trust asking for recommendations for any Historic significant trees in the area, to be registered for the Significant Tree Register in Victoria. Margot Hitchcock, Historian, and Penny Garnet, Archivist, went to the Sports Ground and Measured the circumference of the big old pine tree and estimation of the height of the tree by the shadow on the ground. Margot took photos of the pine tree and Penny researched the type of pine tree and history of who planted the tree and when. They then sent their report to the National Trust.
National Trust Register on-line.
Each year there is a competition held by the National Trust to vote for your favourite tree in Victoria. Blackwood will be nominating the massive pine at the sports ground and Ray Castellin in a local report says “its hard not be in awe when standing beside it , and I know everyone I have shown it to feels the same way. Nominations start July 30 with voting commencing Oct 10. Here is the link to vote https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/treeoftheyear/.
Ray also did some homework and said – I decided to measure the pine as it was last officially measured in 2010 . Using the accepted means I have the circumference at 10.4 metres and a height of between 56 – 62 metres. To put that in perspective, if the tree fell it would hit the cricket pitch with a few metres on the other side !
Ray also checked the comprehensive website ‘Monumental Trees’, and is fairly certain, that in fact, we actually have the largest Monterey Pine in the world ! Now that demands tourist signage ! Not only here but on our highway exit, as well as an info board near the tree with its vital stats. I think we should also name it at some stage, my initial thought is the “Majestic Monterey “ , but perhaps it could be the subject of a competition. We are all looking to breathe life into our town again and our “secret” tree may well go a long way towards achieving this. I know if I went past a sign declaring Worlds Largest.. I would go out of my way to check it out.
National Trust – Trust Trees Australia – National Trusts of Australia ‘Register of Significant Trees’.
| Common Name : | Pine – Monterey |
| Scientific Name : | Pinus radiata |
| Circumference : | 9.71 metres (382 inches) |
| Height : | 53.00 metres (173 feet) |
| Crown : | 35.00 metres (114 feet) |
| Points : | 584 |
| State : | VIC |
| Town : | Blackwood |
| Location : | Blackwood Recreation Reserve |
| Coordinates : | 37 28 20.02 S 144 18 16.34 E Click to view in maps |
| Nominator : | Alan Deumer |
| Year Measured : | 2010 |
| Age : | 100 (2023 = 135 years old) |
Comments : | NATIONAL CHAMPION |
DETAILS – Common name – Monterey Pine
Botanical name – Pinus radiata
Municipality – Moorabool (VIC)
Condition – poor
Age 134 yrs
Diameter – 3 metres
Height – 50 metres
Location – Blackwood Recreation Reserve, Recreation Reserve Road, Blackwood VIC 3458
Access – Unrestricted
SignificancesPerson/Group/Institution (Historic)
Date of measurement – 01 Jan 1989
Date of classification – 08 Dec 2014
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
‘The Monterey Pine at the Blackwood Recreation Reserve is an enormous tree. There is some uncertainty as to when and by whom the tree was planted. The area was originally a billabong and later a Chinese market garden. Mr Roy Terrill, whose family own the adjacent farm, remembers his father, Mr Ernest Terrill and his uncles talking about levelling and preparing the ground. He guessed that was some 100 years ago. The perimeter was then planted with various conifers, five or six of which still remain, including this pine.’
Above information courtesy of the National Trust page – ‘Register of Significant Trees’, and Nominator.
HISTORY OF THE SPORTS GROUND
Plan of the Chinese Market Garden, Blackwood in 1882. Courtesy Crown Lands file, Public Records Office, Victoria. VPRS 440-266. From the records of Margot Hitchcock.
The area where the Blackwood Sports Ground now stands was originally the Chinese market gardens, and in 1889 they sold the land to the Blackwood Cricket Club, and this land became a recreation reserve. Here Blackwood had their own Cricket and Football teams and a tennis court was in the far back left-hand corner. Cricket is still played there today.
Information from Les Armstrong – the Blackwood Sports Ground was bought from the Chinese Market Gardeners for eleven pounds by the Blackwood United Cricket Club. The first Trustees of the Blackwood Sports Ground in 1889 were William Gribble, James Barkla, Messrs. Croker, Vigor, and Hayden.
Blackwood Cricket Club members outside new Pavillion and dressing room. C.1908. Timber was bought by the Recreation Reserve Trust for the removal and re-erecting of the timber from the Pincombe cottage for a dressing room in 1908.. (see my book – The Billy Pincombe Tragedy page 128)
Photos Courtesy Margot Hitchcock. If anyone has other photos taken over the years that they wish to contribute, please email margothitchcock@bigpond.com
Photo with Pine tree January 2011 with two of my grandaughters courtesy Margot Hitchcock.
Photo with Pine tree January 2011 courtesy Margot Hitchcock.
