General News
26 May, 2025
Tree digs its new home
THE unofficial entranceway to the Cairns Botanic Gardens has finally been restored with an impressive 4m-high cycad.
The tree stands at the prominent corner of Collins Avenue and McCormack Street at Edge Hill, replacing the much-loved weeping fig tree, affectionately known as the ‘Bucket Tree’.
The fig was removed three years ago for safety reason after succumbing to pyrrhoderma noxium (brown root rot), a highly contagious root.
The corner remained bare while the council sought a replacement worthy of the fig’s legacy and the public’s strong emotional connection to it.
A suitable candidate emerged in the form of a large cycas revoluta, thought to be over 60-years-old, which was slated for removal from a nearby site due to upcoming development.
The council seized the opportunity to rescue and relocate the plant at Patience St, Manoora.
The transplant began on Monday last week with excavations around the cycad’s base. By Tuesday, it had been carefully lifted by crane, transported and replanted at the prominent corner location.
Division 7 Councillor Anna Middleton said it was the perfect mix of practicality and symbolism.
“This tree marks a new chapter for this corner of Edge Hill,” she said.
“The original fig held a special place in people’s hearts, so we knew we had to get this right.
“The fact that we’ve been able to give another significant plant a second life here really resonates with the community and speaks to the values of sustainability and local character.
“As one resident who contacted me said, ‘It’s a large, robust and one of the very few examples of the coastal cycads that once existed across suitable habitat where the city now persists’.”
Mayor Amy Eden said it showed what could be achieved when the council worked together with the community.
“We needed to find a tree befitting of such a high-profile location – the intersection effectively serves as an entrance statement to the botanic gardens precinct – and this cycad certainly ticks the box.
“It’s a beautiful plant and no doubt over time will become part of the fabric of this precinct, just like the bucket tree before it.”
