Hefty removal for 750-year-old boab tree

This is not the 750 year old tree in King's Park..I do not have a picture of it now since my memory stick has become unreadable .

As we were driving along in Liz's rented car in King's Park , Perth Western Australia, Michelle who was driving started telling us about the Boab tree.

What struck me about the tree is its energy. Even as I write I can feel the majesty and peace of this tree, now in its new home in Perth.

When we stopped in front of the tree that night , it was cold and windy and with the lights of Perth shining like jewels from the look out point a few meters from the tree. The wind was blowing strongly and for once we felt chilly in the very mild end of winter Perth climate.

We went back in the daytime, this time with Kak Noorli , a longtime resident of Perth, formerly Ipoh mari...I wanted to upload some photos , but it is not meant to be. My memory stick has gone bust!

So what was I doing in Perth? Level 3 EFT workshop with Peter Graham. Liz and Kak Noorly were fellow participants. Liz stays in Broome and Kak Noorli is a psychiatric nurse in Perth.
Liz paid more in airfare to get to Perth than I did! Amazing isn't it? I was surprised myself when I booked the flight with Tiger air. The only drawback was having to go into Singapore. The checkpoints were a bit of a hassle , especially getting back , there was a long queue at 4 am ...unbelievable!

News article on the tree:

Hefty removal for 750-year-old boab tree
14th July 2008, 19:30 WST

The bottle-shaped boab tree is being transplanted from Warum, in the Kimberley region, to Perth's Kings Park

The removal of a 750-year-old boab tree from the WA Kimberley for its 3000km journey to Perth has been a more challenging process than expected.

In what is believed to be a world first, the giant boab tree left Warmun in the Kimberly yesterday and its hefty weight required a larger truck to safely transport it to its new home, Kings Park, by Saturday.

Weighing in at 36 tonnes – 22 more tonnes than first thought – the tree stretches 14m high and 8m wide, and it will be planted in Kings Park’s Botanic Garden and feature in the Kings Park Festival in September.

The tree’s root system was also more complicated and extensive than expected.

Since yesterday the tree has travelled along the Great Northern Highway and will pass through Fitzroy, Port Hedland, Cue and Muchea.

While the cost of moving such a massive tree would usually cost about $120,000, local companies including Main Roads and BGC Contracting donated their resources and time at no cost for the project.

After the boab tree has settled in its new home, Kings Park staff will collect its seeds and grow about 200 boabs to return to the Kimberley.

Project co-ordinator Patrick Courtney said when Kings Park found out the tree needed to be relocated because of works on Great Northern Highway, they welcomed the chance to secure it.

“It’s a real coup for Kings Park to have such a magnificent tree, particularly with its strong cultural and historical value,” he said.

“Mature trees rarely become available, so this will greatly enhance the 3000 native species already on show for the Australian public."

PERTH
LISA CALAUTTI