Bland Oak

Last updated

Bland Oak
Theblandoak.jpg
The oak tree in 2016
Bland Oak
Species Live oak ( Quercus virginiana )
Location Carramar, New South Wales,
Sydney, Australia
Coordinates 33°52′47″S150°57′42″E / 33.8797°S 150.9617°E / -33.8797; 150.9617
Date seededLate 1830s
Custodian William Bland (planter)
Fairfield City Council

The Bland Oak, or Bland's Oak Tree, is a historic Southern live oak situated in Carramar, Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is approximately over 170 years old, making it one of Sydney's oldest living introduced trees and also one of the largest in the region. [1] A local significance and a historic symbol of Fairfield City Council, the oak tree is included on Fairfield City's coat of arms. [1]

Contents

Description

Planted by former convict, politician, farmer and inventor William Bland in 1842, the Bland Oak was the largest tree in Australia until it split in two parts after a storm early on New Year Day 1941. Its dissipated wood was assembled and carved into the Mayoral chair, which is currently housed at Fairfield City Museum & Gallery in Smithfield. Despite the incident, the oak tree still remains to be the largest of its kind in Sydney, with its interminably sprawling crowns and prominent canopy, providing decent shade. [2]

Located in the suburb of Carramar in Oakdene Park, which lies in Bland Street, the tree is around 13 metres (43 ft) tall and has a width of more than 30 metres (98 ft). [1]

Significance

Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone proposed for the tree to be recognised on a national level after the council accepted its local importance in the Local Environmental Plan in 2013. Fairfield Council will apply to the National Trust of Australia to have the tree listed on the National Register of Significant Trees. [3] According to Carbone, “This lonely tree standing in the middle of our city is significant for its age, rarity and unique shape telling a story of our heritage”. Further, he stated “It represents a significant part of our local heritage and is a historic symbol of our city, standing as a landmark beside Prospect Creek”. [1]

Acorns from the tree were collected in March 2020 and planted to grow about 10 new "Bland Oaks" throughout the city. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Western Sydney</span> Region of the metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia

Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions within Sydney's metropolitan area and encompasses 11 local government areas: Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith and Wollondilly. It includes Western Sydney, which has a number of different definitions, although the one consistently used is the region composed of ten local government authorities, most of which are members of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC). The NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney calls the region "Greater Western Sydney".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division of Fowler</span> Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Fowler is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfield City Council</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The Fairfield City Council is a local government area in the west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was first incorporated as the "Municipal District of Smithfield and Fairfield" on 8 December 1888, and the council's name was changed to the "Municipality of Fairfield" in 1920, before being proclaimed a city in 1979. The City of Fairfield comprises an area of 102 square kilometres (39 sq mi) and as of the 2021 census had a population of 208,475. The mayor of the City of Fairfield is Cr. Frank Carbone, the first popularly-elected independent mayor of Fairfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithfield, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Smithfield is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Smithfield is located 31 kilometres (19 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Fairfield and Cumberland Council. Located in the Greater Western Sydney region, the suburb is one of the largest in Fairfield City by area.

Carramar is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Wanneroo and it is situated 30 km from the Perth CBD. Its postcode is 6031, and it came into being, together with Tapping to the south, in 1995 as a subdivision of Neerabup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carramar, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Carramar is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Carramar is located 30 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield and is part of the South Western Sydney region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Bland</span> Australian politician

William Bland was a prominent public figure in the colony of New South Wales. A surgeon by profession, he arrived in Australia as a convict but played an important role in the early years of Australian healthcare, education and science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect Creek (New South Wales)</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

Prospect Creek is an urban watercourse of the Georges River catchment that is located in the western region of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. As Prospect Reservoir forms a part of the Sydney metropolitan water supply, the flow of the creek is regulated in accordance with the operational requirements of Sydney Water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Brisbane</span> Local government area in Queensland, Australia

The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland City Council</span> Local government area in New South Wales, Australia

Cumberland Council, trading as Cumberland City Council, is a local government area located in the western suburbs of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of parts of the Cities of Auburn, Parramatta, and Holroyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetherill Park Nature Reserve</span>

Wetherill Park Nature Reserve, also called Wetherill Park Reserve, is an urban park and a nature reserve situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The reserve contains an open woodland and bushland which feature native plants, such as eucalyptus trees, and recreational areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosford Street Reserve</span>

Rosford Street Reserve, or Rosford Reserve, is an urban park and nature reserve situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The reserve contains an open grassland, woodlands and recreational areas surrounded by native plants, such as eucalyptus trees. Janice Crosio Oval is a fenced sports ground incorporated within the reserve. The park is one of the largest in the Fairfield LGA area.

The King George V Avenue of Memorial English Oaks is a heritage-listed memorial avenue at King George V Memorial Avenue (East), Tamworth, Tamworth Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Tamworth Council and Community and built during 1936 by Tamworth Progress Association, Tamworh Rotary, Tamworth Community and Council. It is also known as Lower Nemingha Road. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 12 March 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Leonards Park</span> Historic site

St Leonards Park is a heritage-listed bowling club, 15-hectare (37-acre) urban park, rugby field and cricket oval at 283a Miller Street, North Sydney, North Sydney Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by William Tunks, Mayor and built during 1838. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 31 July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Horsley Drive</span> Road in Sydney, Australia

The Horsley Drive is a 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) urban sealed road located in the City of Fairfield in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The road's northwestern terminus is located at the entrance of Western Sydney Parklands in Horsley Park and its southeastern terminus at its intersection with Hume Highway in Carramar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfield Park Precinct</span>

Fairfield Park Precinct, or Fairfield Park, is an urban park situated in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Situated to the south of Fairfield CBD, the park contains an open grassland, bushland, picnic spots, playgrounds, indoor and outdoor sport facilities, and recreational areas within the vicinity of native plants, such as eucalyptus trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox River</span> River in New South Wales, Australia

The Lennox River is the proposed name for a waterway located in Sydney's South-Western Suburbs. The existing waterway is the tidal reach of Prospect Creek, a tributary of the Georges River. A proposal has been made to upgrade and reclassify the waterway as a 'river'. The proposed river would be 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) long, starting at the confluence of Orphan School Creek and Prospect Creek at Fairfield and flowing to the Georges River emptying into Dhurawal Bay at Garrison Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dai Le</span> Australian politician (born 1 April 1968)

Dai Trang Le is a Vietnamese-born Australian politician currently serving as the federal member for Fowler and councillor for Fairfield/Cabravale Ward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Carbone (politician)</span> Mayor of the City of Fairfield, NSW

Frank Giuseppe Carbone is an Australian politician. In 2012 he became Mayor of the City of Fairfield, one of the largest local government areas (LGA) in New South Wales by population.

The Dai Le & Frank Carbone Network (DLFCN) is an Australian political party established and registered in 2023 by independent MP Dai Le and Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Boulous, Chris (20 April 2018). "Nothing Bland about our Oak tree". Fairfield City Champion. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  2. Fairfield City Council - Culture and Heritage
  3. Bar, Eliza (1 May 2018). "Blands Oak recommended for National Trust register after long history in Sydney's southwest". Fairfield Advance. The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  4. Growing new Bland Oaks Frank Carbone, Fairfield City Council, 23 May 2019