Kidman's Tree of Knowledge, Heritage-listed tree at Glengyle Station, Bedourie, Queensland, Australia.
Kidman's Tree of Knowledge is a mature Coolibah tree standing on Glengyle Station in Bedourie, visible in the semi-arid landscape of western Queensland. The tree grows in the Channel Country region, where the Diamantina and Georgina rivers shape the surrounding terrain.
Sir Sidney Kidman purchased Glengyle Station in 1913 and made it part of his vast Australian cattle empire. The site was later registered on Queensland's heritage list, marking its importance to the region's pastoral story.
The coolibah's name recalls the campfire talks Sidney Kidman held with cattlemen about the interior, and the bush skills he learned from Aboriginal people while working for the drover George Raines. Kidman later kept track of his scattered stations by telegraph, moving almost constantly between them.
The tree sits on an active ranch in a remote region with extreme weather conditions. Visitors should expect dry conditions and be prepared for uneven terrain, as the surroundings are typical of western outback landscape.
Kidman reputedly camped beneath this coolibah while planning his pastoral empire, yet he only took up the Glengyle leasehold in 1913, decades after Duncan McGregor established the run in 1876. The tree was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
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