Fifty years ago, the Canterbury Road Urban Forest site was little more than a bare rail embankment along the St Kilda Light Rail Corridor.
Now it's a flourishing, ecologically significant urban oasis, providing cooling shade and a welcoming place for wildlife.
The seed for the project was planted about 1975 when then Council Greening Officer Brian Carter saw the site's potential.
Brian sourced several thousand eucalypt trees as tubestock from nurseries newly established to support Victoria's emerging native forestry industry. Rather than relying on contractors, the trees were largely planted by local primary school students.
Yet until recently, one key mystery remained: exactly which eucalypt species had taken root and flourished here? With no formal planting records, the site's true diversity was unknown.
Our Council recently called on nationally renowned eucalypts expert Dean Nicolle to solve the mystery of the living ecological archive.
Based in Adelaide, Dean has been fascinated by eucalypts since his early teens.
"I've been lucky to make a career out of it. There are so many species it can be quite different to identify each species," Dean said.
"It's not just all great big gum trees. There's mallees which are shrubby and different types of bark, flower buds and foliage."
Thanks to Dean's knowledge, we now know our City is home to over 60 eucalypt species and subspecies.
Dean observed 40 different eucalypt species in the Canterbury Road Urban Forest - with several eucalypts not recorded elsewhere in Port Phillip (Eucalyptus astringens, baxteri, cornuta, crenulata, diversifolia, fasciculosa, gracilis, microcarpa, nortonii, occidentalis, oleosa, porosa, punctata, socialis, stricklandii and yarraensis).
What makes this site especially fascinating, Dean noted, is its "somewhat unique" origins - an informal planting that has evolved into a rich and resilient ecosystem.
The audit didn't stop there. Dean also investigated eucalypts at Alma Park, St Kilda Botanic Gardens, Elwood Canal, Gasworks Arts Park and the Port Melbourne Lightrail Reserve, resulting in about 500 eucalypt records being updated with accurate species identification.
This newfound knowledge helps our Council plan for the future by:
• providing tailored, species specific care for these trees
• identifying which eucalypt species have performed best over 50 years in an urban rail corridor
• making informed tree selection choices across the municipality.
Port Melbourne is also home to a rich variety of many species of eucalypts. Why not experience them firsthand by going to Celebrate National Eucalypt Day with a walk among Port Melbourne's gum trees - City of Port Phillip to download a guided walk highlighting a range of eucalypt species growing in streets, reserves and nature strips.
