Landsborough Tree, heritage-listed tree in Burketown, Queensland, Australia
The Landsborough Tree is a heritage-listed eucalypt at Burketown, Shire of Burke, Queensland, on the bank of the Albert River. The original trunk was set alight by vandals in December 2002 and fell over; by 2007 it was described as a small charred stump. In June 2009 a sapling was replanted alongside the dead tree to replace it.
The eucalypt by the Albert River marks where William Landsborough made a depot camp in 1862 while searching for the missing Burke and Wills expedition, burying supplies nearby and carving "Dig" into the trunk. The brig Firefly used in the search was abandoned on the riverbank close by. The tree was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 August 1992; vandals set it alight in December 2002, felling the trunk, and by June 2009 a sapling had been planted beside the dead tree.
The tree is named after explorer William Landsborough, who in 1862 carved the word "Dig" into its trunk to point to supplies he had buried nearby for the missing Burke and Wills expedition. The brig Firefly, used in the search, was abandoned on the riverbank close by.
The tree stands on the bank of the Albert River at Burketown, in the Shire of Burke in far north-west Queensland. The site is an open, outdoor stop reached by road into town, so bring water and supplies, as services are limited in this remote area.
The brig Firefly, used in the search for Burke and Wills, was abandoned on the riverbank near the tree. The tree itself was set alight by vandals in December 2002, leaving only a charred stump by 2007; a sapling was planted alongside it by June 2009.
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