The previous post introduced the rock line-up located beside the gravel road that leads to a boat ramp located east of New Norfolk. Resting impressively nearby, the massive stump pictured below was labelled as a Swamp Gum/Mountain Ash/Eucalyptus Regnans – the world’s tallest flowering tree.
This Eucalyptus Regnans tree began life when Queen Elizabeth 1st was on the throne in England in the 16th century.
The tree stump was collected from west of New Norfolk after growing to 90 metres tall and 3 metres wide, before being felled by a bush fire. Nevertheless, the remains of this grand old-growth forest gum tree reminds me of the wonderful original forest trees we have lost to pulp and paper making in Tasmania and how important it is to protect what we have left.
The placement of this 30 tonne tree stump by Australian Newsprint Mills in association with the New Norfolk Council was made as part of the Australian Bicentennial year of celebrations of European settlement in 1988.
The vegetation beside the gravel road was a lush, overgrown, infestation of blackberry bushes. The photo below shows the steam effluent of the Norske Skog newsprint production mill in the distance.
After the rocks and tree stump diversion, I stepped back onto the gravel road where I could see the Derwent River and some building structures at the bottom of the incline.
Walking the Derwent River 