womble
1st April 2006, 11:35 PM
Larry snaps iconic tree
Saturday Apr 1 12:04 AEDT
A splintered stump is all that remains of an iconic centuries-old Queensland tree shattered by Cyclone Larry.
Believed to be more than 500 years old, the 50-metre red cedar was reduced to a stump when the category-five cyclone ripped through Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland last week.
Environment Minister Desley Boyle said the tree had been a north Queensland landmark which had enthralled tourists for decades.
"The tree dates back to when Henry V11 was on the throne in England, when China was in the middle of the Ming Dynasty when most of the Great Wall was built and when explorer Christopher Columbus died," Ms Boyle said.
Damage to the surrounding rainforest was extensive and it had been closed to the public, she said.
The tree snapped off two metres above its base and would not be removed, she said.
It belonged to the fine-grained cedar family, which was in great demand during the 1800s and became known as the tree that built a nation.
I can't believe such a magnificent tree is gone :( :( If it's true it will be missed by many...
Saturday Apr 1 12:04 AEDT
A splintered stump is all that remains of an iconic centuries-old Queensland tree shattered by Cyclone Larry.
Believed to be more than 500 years old, the 50-metre red cedar was reduced to a stump when the category-five cyclone ripped through Lake Eacham on the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland last week.
Environment Minister Desley Boyle said the tree had been a north Queensland landmark which had enthralled tourists for decades.
"The tree dates back to when Henry V11 was on the throne in England, when China was in the middle of the Ming Dynasty when most of the Great Wall was built and when explorer Christopher Columbus died," Ms Boyle said.
Damage to the surrounding rainforest was extensive and it had been closed to the public, she said.
The tree snapped off two metres above its base and would not be removed, she said.
It belonged to the fine-grained cedar family, which was in great demand during the 1800s and became known as the tree that built a nation.
I can't believe such a magnificent tree is gone :( :( If it's true it will be missed by many...