An unassuming Corymbia Papuana ghost gum was growing in 1886 in what became the main street of Barcaldine. The tree was situated beside the railway goods shed. When the railway line ended at Barcaldine – The Terminus – the railway station was on the northern side of the line. The railway goods shed was on the south side of the railway line next to the Tree.
It was here that the teamsters and carriers unloaded the harvest of the west, the wool. They also held their carriers’ union meetings under the Tree, in the leadup to and during the shearers’ strike in 1891.
In 1891, Barcaldine became the central headquarters for the organising committee for the Great Shearers’ Strike, with shearers’ strike meetings held under the Tree for many years to come.
The ghost gum came to symbolise the importance of this era in Australia’s political development.
When the first railway station burnt down in the 1930s, the new station was built on the site of the goods shed, with the Tree surviving to stand outside the front of the new building.
The Tree was dubbed The Hallelujah Tree when the Salvation Army played under it during and after the Great Strike.
It apparently became known as The Tree of Knowledge after a local gave it the name in the 1950s.
In the 1980s, the Tree’s surroundings were rejuvenated with a landscaping project. It had been showing signs of stress attributed to being surrounded by bitumen. A community employment project (CEP) beautified the area around the Tree.
In 1991, the centenary of the Great Shearers’ Strike was celebrated with many events under the Tree, attended by many dignitaries and locals. The Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating attended the commemoration.
Death of the Tree
The Tree was poisoned by a person/s unknown in 2006, a great blow to the ALP, unions and townspeople who knew the value of its historical connections and presence, and its significance to the town’s growing tourism development.
Removal of Tree 2007
Tree of Knowledge to live on
Funding was successfully sought from government for a permanent memorial for the Tree, and in 2009 work began on the structure on the site of the original living tree.
As the large box-like structure rose from the ground, locals dubbed it The Black Box. Which was fairly appropriate as the architects used the black box shape as a representation of the Tree’s death.
The Tree of Knowledge Memorial Opening 2009
In 2009, the preserved remains of the Tree were returned to Barcaldine and (re)placed in the original spot on site as the centrepiece of the new Tree of Knowledge Memorial.
The opening of the Tree of Knowledge Memorial by the then-Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, was a large event attended by many current and past residents as well as dignitaries.
Tree of Knowledge Memorial 2020
