Eucalyptus camaldulensis

Eucalyptus camaldulensis, common name river red gum, has smooth white or cream-coloured bark, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and hemispherical fruit with the valves extending beyond the rim.

The Separation tree was heritage listed river red gum, located in the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne. Found on the Tennyson Lawn the tree was one of two original river red gums that were along the banks of the swampy billabong which makes up part of the Ornamental Lake. The tree was a Melbourne landmark and is best known as the site where the citizens of the city congregated on 15 November 1850 to celebrate when the news that Victoria was to separate from the colony of New South Wales after it had been announced by Governor La Trobe. It was one of the few trees left in the garden that pre-dated European colonization.
The tree was approximately 24 m in height with a canopy that was around 27 m wide. The trunk had a circumference of 3.83 m.  A plaque commemorating the centenary the separation of the colonies was placed at the base of the tree in 1951. In 1982 the Separation Tree was placed on the Significant Tree Register of the National Trust of Victoria. In 2010 and again in 2013 the 400 year old tree was damaged in acts of vandalism. In the 2010 attack the tree was ring-barked and about 90 per cent of the cambial tissue removed. The wound was further widened and the remaining 10 per cent was destroyed in the 2013 attack. The tree canopy and parts of the trunk were lopped in 2015 after it was confirmed to be dead. There are 26 separate plantings of saplings of the original tree scattered around Victoria including one in the botanic gardens in Melbourne and another in the garden at Parliament House. Our river red gum is one of these saplings. Images; Separation tree in the botanic gardens: Gary Houston - CC0; Separation tree circa 1910 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-art...

198.00 Location C4/D4 Latitude; -38.402349000000 Longitude;146.052326000000

198.01 Location Specimens form part of the Tarwin River bank restoration plantings and along the long lagoon