A Wonderful Moment ...

The girl and the goliath - Bill Kraft Giant Albert Rd Drouin

A Century!

I was probably hoping for a better picture to celebrate recording my 100^th bird species for my Drouin list, but the small flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills encountered between Roberts Ct and Longwarry Rd wouldn’t let me get close enough.

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I feel Drouin’s urban bird population is extraordinary. To celebrate yesterday’s newest addition, I have added a bird list to the side panel of the blog.

Settlement Giant

The Settlement Giant is the name the friends have given the large Mountain Grey Gum on the corner of Settlement Rd and Springwater Dr in Drouin.

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Settlement Giant - a Drouin icon

Early timber harvesters in the area more than likely decided the aberrant trunk structure made the tree less valuable commercially and left the tree to stand. Their loss is our gain.

The benefits this large tree gives the Drouin residents of today are many – sequestering carbon, absorbing particulates and giving off oxygen, providing shade, reducing ambient temperatures, mitigating run off and erosion, providing a windbreak, blocking noise pollution, improving property values, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, etc.

Evidence even suggests the crime rate is lower in well treed urban areas. And, of course the benefits to urban wildlife are well documented.

Eight significant hollows were easily identified

The Settlement giant has numerous small and large hollows. Most eucalypts take around 100 years to BEGIN forming hollows. The number and extent of hollows in a eucalypt is a factor that some ‘experts’ use to help determine the age of such a tree. 

This line-up gives the tree some proportion!

Wes, Bill, Jo and Judy with some of Jo's finished works

Yesterday, the Settlement Giant was immortalized by Baw Baw Shire’s Artist in Residence, Jo Caminiti. Jo’s work was admired by friends and passers-by alike … 

… and even by some of the arboreal residents!

Next week, between 10am and 3pm, Jo will be celebrating and ennobling some more of Drouin’s Giants:-

Sunday 20^th, The Grandfather in Civic Park.

Monday 21^st, Whitton’s Giant, 123 Hopetoun Rd.

Tuesday 22^nd, The town entry avenue in Main South Rd.

Wednesday 23^rd, Victoria Rd Giant, 20-22 Victoria St.

Thursday 24^th, Bill Kraft Giant, 39 Albert Rd.

Artist in Residence

Today, Sunday, was the first of the ‘Ten Giants in Ten Days’ artist in residence program. You can see the program for the next ten days here on the FoDT Facebook page.

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Hearn Park Mountain Grey Gum

Artist in residence, Jo Caminiti was joined today by JulieWard and Carrie Dupé at the giant Mountain Grey Gum in Hearn Park. The three artists skilfully worked to immortalize the goliath on canvas.

Jo Caminiti...

 Carrie Dupé...

Julie Ward...

Passers-by were able to engage the artists as they worked and to talk with Jenny from the Friends of Drouin’s Trees about the role of the group.

Three talented ladies and one impressive giant.