Chief Minister Jon Stanhope joined John Mackay (chair – Arboretum Board), Board members, and representatives of sporting groups in planting Araucaria cunninghamii, commonly known as the Hoop Pine on Monday 7 March. Sporting icons David Campese (former Rugby test player), Robert de Castella (former World marathon champion), Lauren Jackson (basketball) and Mal Meninga (Queensland’s State of Origin coach) represented the sporting groups at the special event.
The Central Valley Terraces are reserved for plantings of Araucaria cunninghamii by iconic Australian celebrities. The sporting icons are the first to be invited to plant these ceremonial trees.
The Araucaria cunninghamii is native to Australia and is commonly known as the ‘hoop Pine’ due to the transverse ridges or ‘hoops’ it’s bark develops with age. The species name of cunninghamii is in honour of the English born botanist and plant collector Allan Cunningham.
