Elizabeth Karri Kings Park

1958
Overview

Photo

Historical information

Bunning Brothers donated a Karri tree felled in the Donnelly region to the Kings Park Board as a tribute to the State's forest wealth as part of the Festival of Trees. On the 25th August 1958 the Minister for Forests H.E. Graham officially opened the Festival of Trees in the Kings Park Botanical Gardens and named the great log "The Elizabeth Karri Tree'.

Before cutting, this Karri tree was 378 years old , stood 157ft (47.8m) high and was 119ft (36.2m) to the first limb. The actual log transported to Perth had a butt circumference of 25ft (7.6m), a crown circumference of 16ft ( 4.8m) and weighed 110 tons.

Bush Boss Phil McNab supervised the felling of the tree with Aub and Kevin McKay hauling the log using a D8 and D7 Caterpillar dozers back to the Wheatley Settlement (Donnelly Village).

To transport up to Kings Park Botanical Gardens for the Festival of Trees the logs were cut into 3 sections and loaded onto three 200hp Diamond T trucks driven by C Young, P Phelan and J Tillman with H Wheatley driving an army Blitz truck loaded with all the spare gear of tyres, grease, oils, rope, hooks, spanners and fuel.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-21-Photo.9.1004
Item type
Contextual Information

The Karri log came from the Donnelly region and represented a growth industry of timber milling that occurred post World War 11 to cater for the shortage of timber in the housing market. Bunnings became one the biggest family timber merchants in Western Australia and the Donnelly River settlement, people and mill all played a very important part in the Bunnings history and in the history of Western Australia during the timber milling era of the 1950's until the mills closure on the 30th June 1978.

Place made
Donnelly River, Shire of Nannup
Western Australia
Australia
Year
Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Permissions

Authorisation to reproduce, public or display must be obtained from the Friends Of Donnelly Village Inc.

Attribution requirements

Acknowledgements to be made to Friends of Donnelly Village Inc.

Friends of Donnelly Village Inc (FODV)

Friends of Donnelly Village Inc (FODV)

Organisation Details
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King Karri ex Wheatley Settlement (Donnelly) being transported to Kings Park Botanical Gardens for the Festival of Trees in 1958.
Donated by the Bunning Brothers the great King Karri ex Wheatley Settlement (Donnelly) being transported to Kings Park Botanical Gardens for the Festival of Trees in 1958.

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