Deep time

To one side of the path, you may notice a giant tree stump, which is entirely hollow. It is thought that First peoples may have used this tree to smoke eels caught in the creek. Reflect on what this tree may have experienced within its life and beyond on this site.

Woven eel traps like this were used by Traditional Owners in Victoria
Courtesy of Budj Bim Cultural Landscape

This tree would have been hundreds of years old, even when it died. It is still standing and contributing to the ecology of the forest 100 years or more after it died. After all that time, you can still see where the living bark has regrown over old injuries, whether from fires, lightning strikes or other cultural uses. What creatures called it home over its long life? Did its seeds create any of the other giant trees around you? Even now, you can read so much from the tree, and our time with it here is so fleeting. .

Powerful owls require large tree hollows for nesting

Notice which side of the tree has lichens and mosses on the trunk. Which way do you think the rain comes from in this area? Is it consistent with what you see on other trees? Consider how fleeting each shower is compared to the life of this tree