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Statement of Significance

The rich, fertile soil, temperate climate and the interest of many of its citizens in things botanical, has resulted in Toowoomba Region’s ability to grow a wide range of indigenous and non-indigenous plants. In 1860, the area was the first to hold an Agricultural Show in Queensland – 15 years before Brisbane. Walter Hill, the then Government Botanist and first curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, travelled to Toowoomba to advise with the design and planning of Queen's Park and street plantings in Toowoomba. He subsequently imported many tree species from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world to be planted there. Hill Street in Toowoomba is named in his honour. The town attracts many visitors in September for its famous Carnival of Flowers, where people come from near and far to enjoy Toowoomba’s many parks and gardens. Since the first registered burial in 1866, the Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery has been an integral part of Toowoomba’s history. It is one of the earliest surviving public burial grounds in Queensland and contains the graves of pioneers, previous Mayors and other prominent people who shaped Drayton and Toowoomba’s local history. The age of this tree is unknown, but it is self-sown as part of the pre-European vegetation. It appears as a well grown tree in the 1946 aerial photograph, in association with other obviously self-sown native trees in a part of the Cemetery that was not then fully cleared of original native trees, nor used for interments. The other trees have been cleared but this tree was left. It is now growing in isolation, without competition, and with the advantage of disturbed ground around it.
This magnificent, well-balanced, large, mature tree is of outstanding appearance, being considered one of the ten best trees in Toowoomba. Its size renders it an important landmark in this historic cemetery where trees contribute significantly to the landscape. It grows in a burial ground that is still in use and therefore has religious and ceremonial importance to the local community. It is a better than average example of its species.
The tree is located at the western end of Fifth Avenue.