A tantalizing hint of an attempt to start a cricket willow industry in Canberra in the 1920's. The local paper reporting the landing of 500 'cricket' willow trees (info) by steamship to Sydney for presentation to the new federal capital Canberra at a time when visions for the new capital were of it being a totally self-supporting city.
Other ventures were successful in respect to this vision and the Glenlock Oak Plantation (post here) is evidence today of those endeavors. The Cork Oaks at Glenlock are I believe still the largest, mature commercial cork plantation of its size in the southern hemisphere.
I wonder what ever happened to the willows? I know of no cricket willow plantations in the ACT. It is actually quite a shame that a willow industry wasn't established in accordance with Walter Burley Griffins vision for a self sustaining Canberra. Corks and cricket bats, imagine that...
If anyone knows what happened to these willow trees I would be interested in hearing the end of the story...
Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer - 2 November 1926
National Library of Australia (here)
Share -
No comments:
Post a Comment