In the late 1800s, Ballarat’s leafy Victoria Park was known as a tree growing block.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Friends of Ballarat Botanical Gardens’ Lorraine Powell said the area was a place to grow trees before putting them in public spaces.
“They would be re-planted at churches, schools and not just in Ballarat,” she said.
Centuries later and Ballarat still has an interest in horticulture.
The City of Ballarat will this year launch the region’s first Exceptional Tree Register to recognise and protect some of the city’s favourite trees.
Members of the community are encouraged to nominate their favourite tree, located on either public or private land, by the end of the month.
Ms Powell said Ballarat residents would appreciate the tree register.
“A register would be able to map where the trees are located,” she said. “We have a lot of trees that commemorate significant people.”
City of Ballarat councillor Belinda Coates said she had raised the idea of a tree register late last year.
Cr Coates said the register would encompass both heritage and national trust recognised trees.
“This encompasses all of those, but will also identify new ones,” Cr Coates said. “People could nominate a tree for its heritage or horticultural significance or size.”
The National Trust Significant Trees List is different to the City of Ballarat register.
Public submissions for the register will close on Monday, June 30.
kara.irving@fairfaxmedia.com.au