details

Statement of Significance

The plantation was designed to assess the potential for growing commercial cork in Canberra.

History

The plantation of about 10 hectares was commenced in 1916 with acorns supplied by Walter Burley Griffin to Charles Weston from the cork oak tree at Duntroon and from Spain.. Planting continued until 1920, forming part of a continental arboretum. The plantation was also designed to assess the potential for growing commercial cork in Canberra.

Other

Cork oak has a special place in Canberra’s tree history. Commercial cork was formerly an essential component of life jackets, fishing nets and insulation equipment as well as its traditional role as corks in bottles. Cork oaks were planted around early district properties and corks dangling from the brims of the hats of jackaroos and swagmen typify the outback Australian.

Cork oak is essentially fire tolerant. Quercus suber produces little litter in plantations and the bark provides excellent heat protection to the trunk and the foliage is relatively inflammable.

Walter Burley Griffin recognised potential of cork oak for Canberra’s dry climate and, in 1916, sent a supply of acorns to Yarralumla Nursery for trial by Charles Weston. These were sourced from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and planted in October 1917 at ‘(Green Hills Area) Cork Oak Reserve’. WB Griffin was also the source for acorns collected in 1917 “by Mrs Orme Masson of the University of Melbourne as a contribution to the cork oak plantation” and from trees in the Public Gardens in Kyneton, Victoria.