The settlers cleared a space in among the bushland to plant their farms or orchards. The bushland protected their farms from the searing hot north winds in summer and the cold winter storms. As more land was cleared to make room for the orchards, the bushland, with its protective trees, was all gone. Then, windbreaks of pine trees were planted.
Baron von Mueller, who had introduced Radiata pine (Pinus insignus) which had been native to Montery Bay in America, suggested that Radiata pines be used for the windbreaks.
John Finger planted rows around his orchard in George Street in 1890. Later, Tom Petty surrounded each section of his orchard at Park Orchards. The pines grew well, soon providing a protective screen sheltering the fruit trees. against the north winds.
The orchardists also used the shade to protect fruit during picking time. Filled cases were left under the trees where it was cool. Cases of apples such as Roman Beauties were stacked in this cool shade till their protective greasy coating had developed before being placed in the cool store. Orchardists also enjoyed the shade for morning tea.
One hot day during the 1930's, a large pall of smoke rose above Doncaster Hill. On Lawfords orchard a stack of empty fruit cases had caught ?re starting a blaze in the dry wood inside a pine tree. Soon the whole row went up in flames.
As time went on the trees grew too well. They kept the sun off the nearest fruit trees and their roots crept into the orchard rows taking nourishment from the trees. Most orchardists chopped down the pines when they grew too large and planted new seedlings - this time closer together, often eight feet apart, to give a more solid wind barrier. The timber was used to make fruit boxes, kero cases or flat bushel cases.
Pine windbreaks became a part of Doncaster's landscape pattern. Blocks of fruit trees in geometric rows divided by taller rows of pine trees covered the hills and valleys. In the orchards, the pines were kept under control, but in uncultivated areas, the trees seeded producing pine forests. At Park Orchards, these forests became characteristic of the area.
John Sharp, the timber merchant, who bought the Park also made some plantations, for Radiata pine was a pro?table timber tree. Now the pine tree has become unpopular. Conservationists complain that in bushland areas Radiata pine can cause damage as it takes over from the native trees and bushes. But that only applies to a conservation area. There are many controlled places were wind breaks can be allowed to remain and preserve the character of the Old Doncaster.
In a housing area a row of pine windbreaks still does it's job of providing protection from, unpleasant unwanted, hot north wind or cold winter wind.
1990 06 DTHS Newsletter
Monterey Pine Windbreaks
The rows of Monterey Pines were planted as windbreaks by the pioneer orchardists to protect their fruit from wind damage.The Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) is an evergreen native to the west coast of the USA (but not to the Monterey Peninsula as the name suggests), with a life span of 100 to 150 years.
Introduced commercially to Australia in 1857, Baron Ferdinand von Mueller, the first director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, distributed large numbers of young pines to all parts of Victoria in the late 1850s and 1860s.
The pines were easily propagated and grown by the early orchardists as they were quick-growing, drought-tolerant, disease-resistant and well suited to the local soils.
As the pine trees matured, they became a problem in some areas. Their roots would encroach into orchard land, taking water and nourishment away from nearby fruit trees, hindering their development. In these situations, the larger pines were removed and their timber used for fruit cases, then new seedlings were replanted in the gaps.
The early settlers of Doncaster and Templestowe laid the foundations of a horticultural industry which made the district one of the most prosperous primary producing areas in Victoria by the 1920s. The pine plantings that remain today as visual landmarks on ridge lines and hill tops throughout Manningham serve as a physical reminder of our pioneer heritage.
Ruffey Lake Park Heritage Trail (Doncaster) - https://www.melbourneplaygrounds.com.au/ruffey-lake-park-heritage-trail-doncaster
No comments:
Post a Comment