Eucalyptus strzeleckii ...

… Drouin’s other giant.

It wasn’t until 1992 that E. strzeleckii was described in its own right. Prior to that, the species was placed somewhere between E. brookeriana and E. ovata. 

Strzelecki Gums can be locally common, but the entire population of this species is restricted to a very small patch of West and South Gippsland, from around Drouin to the Latrobe Valley. Another even smaller outcrop occurs in the Otway Ranges. There are 45 National Parks in Victoria and the Strzelecki Gum grows in only two of them.

Eucalyptus stzeleckii is a medium-tall forest tree, 15 to 40 metres, that tends to inhabit floodplains and creek-lines. New growth (from Aug to Nov) is silvery, which pertains to one of its common names - Wax-tip. The smooth partly ribbony bark of the Strzelecki Gum is described as having red-tan tonings over cream to yellow.

The leaf of the Strzelecki Gum often has a wavy margin. It is lanceolate shaped, concolorous, (same colour on both sides), glossy and dark green. The juvenile leaves are sometimes a good identifier; they are red with sometimes silvery patches on them. The leaf contains numerous oil glands, giving the foliage a strong eucalyptus smell.

E.strzeleckii will regenerate well after a fire event, but stand alone trees in paddocks that contain stock or introduced grasses or weeds seldom appear to regenerate naturally.

Research into this species has concluded that to maintain a healthy genetic diversity it is vital that existing stands are protected and that connectivity corridors between them are introduced.

Eucalyptus strzeleckii – a Gippsland giant worth protecting.

  

The Headache Bird

The team members for the Significant Trees of Drouin project were constantly hearing a persistent ‘seet-dee-dee’ bird call during many of the tree surveys - click here to hear the call. In its breeding season, the Spotted Pardalote calls continuously from the canopy of large eucalypt trees.

The tiny Spotted Pardalote, Pardalotus punctatus, feeds on psyllids and other tiny invertebrates on the leaves. The bird helps to control insect populations, preventing them from stripping the foliage and perhaps from ultimately killing the tree.

One very strange trait of the Spotted Pardalote is that despite it being a canopy dwelling bird, it prefers to nest in a purpose dug tunnel in the ground. The sides of roads paths, gutters and dams etc, are favourite sites. Keen gardeners will sometimes come across this beautiful little bird dashing in and out of a well concealed nesting tunnel in some soft garden soil.

A close relative, the Striated Pardalote, prefers to nest inside natural tree hollows, crevices in buildings, etc.

Get a chance to see a Spotted Pardalote up close or through binoculars and it’s easy to see why it is often referred to as the jewel of the bush. The wings, tail and head of the male are black and covered with small, distinct white spots. Males have a pale eyebrow, a yellow throat and a red rump. Females are similar but have less-distinct markings.

Get out the binoculars and start checking those large eucs in your street!

This article was contributed by The Significant Trees of Drouin project team.

The Chairmaker of Drouin Swamp

Gum Scrub Creek on the north side of Drouin’s Princes Way, is home to some splendid giant remnant eucalypts, significant wetlands and prolific birdlife. 

Gum Scrub Creek was also ‘home’ to one of the most significant yet little known settlers of the late 19^th century.

Gum Scrub Ck today

 Antonio Debortolis was born in 1849 in Tonadico Austria. He emigrated to Australia in 1877, moved to Drouin (it is unknown why) and became a naturalized citizen in February 1893. He owned 43 acres from at least 1880 to 1913 in what was known as The Drouin Swamp, or Gum Scrub Creek.

The Drouin Chairmaker - picture courtesy of the Drouin History Group

 Antonio or ‘Old Antoney’ was a genius at making chairs from Blackwood. The environment of Gum Scrub Creek would have made an ideal location for his chair making business. The seats of woven rush were made with materials from the swamp. Antonio did not use screws, nails or glue and he joined timbers using wooden dowels. A biographical outline of Antonio plus two of his chairs were published in Kevin Fahy and Andrew Simpson’s definitive ‘Australian Furniture: pictorial History and Dictionary, 1788-1938’.

Antonio’s chairs sold for 2/6d and his armchairs for 4/6d. One of his chairs circa 1890 is in the Power House Museum in Sydney. His chairs were owned by many famous Melbourne people and prized long after his death. He is one of the most interesting craftsmen to have ever worked in Gippsland.

Two survivors of Old Antoney's work

 Antonio died in 1913 aged 63 years and is buried in the Drouin Cemetery in an unmarked grave. He is one of Drouin’s least known yet most profound identities.

Today some of the massive Strzelecki Gums which were part of the land where Antonio lived are still part of the landscape of Gum Scrub Creek. One is a giant of 30-35m height and a trunk girth of 8.1m and is estimated to be 300 years old. Remarkably the corridor of old trees along historic Buln Buln Rd still comprises many old giant remnant eucalypts which would have been there in Antonio’s day. 

'Giants' lining Buln Buln Rd.

 There are five Eucalyptus strzeleckii (Strzelecki Gum), four Eucalyptus cypellocarpa (Mountain Grey Gum) and three Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate), all with trunk girths greater than 4.0m!

(Contributed by Judy of The Friends of Drouin’s Trees)

Drouin's Giant

Eucalyptus cypellocarpa is the scientific name for the Mountain Grey Gum. The Mountain Grey Gum is the dominant indigenous remnant tree giant found in the streets and parks of Drouin and in other towns and localities of Baw Baw Shire. An early colloquial name was the Monkey Gum, so called for the ‘monkey bears’ or Koalas that often like to inhabit the species.

‘Cypellocarpa’ is derived from the Greek for ‘cup shaped fruit’. A lot about a tree can sometimes be learned just from its name.

It is ironic that early settlement of the district was impeded by the dense forests and giant trees that had to be cleared for pastoral runs and urban development. We now treat these huge specimens as valuable assets.

The Mountain Grey Gum is a tall, usually straight, single trunked tree that prefers to grow on the wetter slopes of the ranges. The trunk is mostly smooth throughout with some fibrous rough bark at the bottom and sometimes with shredded strips from the upper regions. Usually the trunk is pale grey with whitish/yellowish/creamy streaks. The curved lance-shaped leaves can be very large, up to 20 or 30 cm long.

Widespread throughout eastern Victoria on the well drained coastal slopes of the Divide; the Mountain Grey Gum is sometimes cultivated as a shade tree and for farm forestry and is considered a fast growing species.

The flowers, fruit, leaves and bark of the Mountain Grey Gum provide ideal food and habitat for a large range of birds, invertebrates and mammals. Many of Drouin’s street trees contain hollows that are regularly occupied by a range of species.

 

The Significant Trees of Drouin group cited almost one hundred E. cypellocarpa with a trunk girth greater than 4 metres, many of them taller than 30 metres – giants in any terms.

This article was contributed by The Significant Trees of Drouin project team.