Did you know that the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens has a forest of timber trees planted by the Bundaberg Woodworkers Guild?
They were planted in the late 1980s and some have grown into large trees. The small forest is in the eastern section of the Gardens. There are several large Hoop Pines, a Red Cedar and a Bunya Pine, which are well known timber trees. There are also trees which are lesser known such as Silver Ash (Flindersia schottiana), Python Tree (Gossia bidwillii) and Silver Quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis). Some rainforest timbers are extremely valuable, mainly due to their scarcity, and many are highly prized. For example Silver Quandong is one of the preferred timbers to be used for solid body electric guitars, as the timber is extremely stable and easy to use, with a long straight grain. The Council has just produced a new video about the Woodworkers Forest. Timber harvesting was Bundaberg’s first industry, well before sugar cane was grown. The Waterloo sawmill was on the northern bank of the Burnett River, only a few kilometres from the location of the current Botanic Gardens, and would have processed the rainforest trees which grew around the new settlement of Bundaberg. So the forest is a link to Bundaberg's interesting history. Members of the Woodworkers Guild are interested in appreciating the living trees before they are turned into beautiful timber products. The trees planted in the Botanic Gardens will not be harvested unless they die naturally. The forest is well worth exploring when you next visit the Gardens. Council is planning to put more identification labels on the trees, helping us all to learn.
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Some highlights of the Gardens Archives
February 2021
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Friends of Bundaberg Botanic Gardens