The Bland Oak, or Bland's Oak Tree, is a historic
Southern live oak situated in
Greater Western Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, 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.
A local significance and a historic symbol of
Fairfield City Council
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 cou ...
, the
oak tree is included on Fairfield City's
coat of arms.
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
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
and prominent
canopy, providing decent
shade.
Located in the suburb of
Carramar in ''Oakdene Park'', which lies in Bland Street, the tree is around tall and has a width of more than .
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
The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...
to have the tree listed on the ''National Register of Significant Trees''. 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”.
Acorn
The acorn, or oaknut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'' and '' Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains one seed (occasionally
two seeds), enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne ...
s from the tree were collected in March 2020 and
planted to grow about 10 new "Bland Oaks" throughout the city.
Growing new Bland Oaks
Frank Carbone, Fairfield City Council, 23 May 2019
Gallery
File:BlankOaktree.jpg, Oakdene Park entrance sign with tree in background
File:BlandOakCarramar.jpg, The tree up close
File:Blandoaktree.jpg, Whole view of tree at dusk
See also
*Site of Ficus superba var. henneana tree
Site of ''Ficus superba var. henneana'' tree is a heritage-listed individual tree at 3-4 Fernleigh Gardens, Rose Bay, New South Wales, Rose Bay in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was plante ...
, a historical tree in Sydney CBD
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often refer ...
*List of individual trees
The following is a list of notable trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as well as ...
*Fairfield Park Precinct
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, playground ...
, a large park just to the north of the tree
External links
Oakdene House Foundation
Fairfield mayor Frank Carbone speaking about the tree in situ
References
{{Sydney landmarks, state=collapsed
Individual oak trees
Tourist attractions in Sydney
Individual trees in New South Wales