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Hire a bike all year round - all ages, all fun. Hire a bike all year round - all ages, all fun.

Centennial Parklands Cycle Hire

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Tree Master Plan

Tree Master Plan - Cover

The Parklands' 15,000 trees enhance its aesthetic and cultural value and reflect changes in these values over time.

The Tree Master Plan for Centennial Parklands sets out principles and strategies for conserving the existing tree population.

It also provides a framework for sensitively integrating new plantings into the Parklands' historic fabric.

The Plan defines management approaches to strengthen and sustain the ageing tree population, and ultimately the Parklands itself, into the next millennium.

It acknowledges the importance of the trees in defining the character, spaces and role of the Parklands throughout its history, and the part they play in enhancing its recreational, aesthetic and cultural value.

The Past

Trees in Lachlan SwampThe Tree Master Plan was developed with the expertise of a steering committee and specialist consultants. It acknowledges the history of the three different parks and their evolution under different management regimes and social pressures.

Moore Park was created in the 1860s as an active sports area. Similarly, Queens Park is a sports-oriented park with playing fields bordered by avenue plantings. Centennial Park has always been a passive recreation area in the manner of English landscape parks of the Victorian period. It is characterised by ornamental lakes and ponds, grand trees, ceremonial drives and magnificent gates and fernery. The major plantings occurred under the directorship of Joseph Maiden between 1896 and 1924.

The Parklands are generally constructed landscapes with very little remnant natural vegetation. The environment is harsh with poor sandy soils, a high water table and severe winds from the south. As a result many plants and trees have been tried and failed over the years. What remains are the hardy survivors-figs, paperbarks, pines, oaks, and coral trees.

The Present

Existing trees form a fairly homogenous, evergreen canopy over the Parklands.

The coral trees are an exception to this rule. As deciduous and flowering trees they provide splashes of colour, a striking relief from the evergreens. They are intrinsic to the picturesque character of Centennial Park.

The coral trees provide a good example of the way in which the Tree Master Plan will work. Susceptible to decay and collapse, the coral trees are now old and failing.

However, given their aesthetic significance, they will be retained and replanted in Centennial Park's woodland areas where there is minimal risk to visitors. In more populated areas, they will be replaced with another flowering tree.

The Future

The recommendations of the Tree Master Plan focus on the conservation of the trees in accordance with their heritage, design and cultural value and their maintenance in a way that perpetuates the distinctive and essential landscape character of the Parklands.

Trees alongside pond in Centennial ParkThe Plan promotes enhancement of the recreation amenity and aesthetic appeal of Centennial, Moore and Queens Parks as originally intended. It is also a framework to accommodate acceptable amounts of change in planting patterns. As part of this change, the Trust is studying recreation patterns in the Parklands and defining its tree areas to take account of those patterns.

With a gradual decline in the numbers and condition of the existing tree population, the plan will permit the commencement of sequential replacement plantings.

Studies have shown that if no forward planting occurs over the next 10 years, the park will be denuded of mature trees within 40 years. This would impoverish the character and quality of Australia's premier park.

The Tree Master Plan recognises and reinforces the character of the Parklands as they are today. Change will be minor and gentle. The Parklands are a much loved and valued asset. This plan will help the Trust ensure that the experience of Centennial Parklands will be enjoyed by its visitors well into the future.

Download the Tree Master Plan

The Centennial Parklands' Tree Master Plan is available to download. Please be aware these are large-size files and may take some time to download (depending on your modem's download speed):

Tree Master Plan - Volume 1

Tree Master Plan - Volume 2


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