emblatame (Ron)
Twin Giant Kauri Pines at Lake Barrine, Atherton Tablelands, Australia - From 25 metres away
Lake Barrine is famous for these Kauri Pines. Tourists come to see them. The Atherton Tablelands once had lots of these rainforest trees and so did the coastal uplands, but only a few remain today. Two giant ones on the top of the Gillies Highway leading to the Tablelands were brought down by Cyclone Larry with winds of around 280 km/hour. The cyclone caused a lot of destruction in the Barrine area too but spared these two trees. Here is something about Kauri Pines, and these two in particular:-
The best known botanical feature of Lake Barrine is the twin Rough Barked Kauri Pines (Agathis Microstachya). These giant forest emergents are estimated to be about 1,000 years old and are considered one of the earliest known species of rainforest tree. Towering above the rainforest canopy, they have achieved a height of 50 metres and have a trunk diameter of 2.7m (9 feet). Kauris, common in some rainforest types, are descendants of species that dominated Tableland forests for thousands of years.
The Bull Kauri species is the largest of all the Kauri’s on record and it is a pine even though it does not have a needle leaf. ‘Kauri Pine’ is the common name derived from the Maori name of the related New Zealand Kauri species (Agathis Australis).
Twin Giant Kauri Pines at Lake Barrine, Atherton Tablelands, Australia - From 25 metres away
Lake Barrine is famous for these Kauri Pines. Tourists come to see them. The Atherton Tablelands once had lots of these rainforest trees and so did the coastal uplands, but only a few remain today. Two giant ones on the top of the Gillies Highway leading to the Tablelands were brought down by Cyclone Larry with winds of around 280 km/hour. The cyclone caused a lot of destruction in the Barrine area too but spared these two trees. Here is something about Kauri Pines, and these two in particular:-
The best known botanical feature of Lake Barrine is the twin Rough Barked Kauri Pines (Agathis Microstachya). These giant forest emergents are estimated to be about 1,000 years old and are considered one of the earliest known species of rainforest tree. Towering above the rainforest canopy, they have achieved a height of 50 metres and have a trunk diameter of 2.7m (9 feet). Kauris, common in some rainforest types, are descendants of species that dominated Tableland forests for thousands of years.
The Bull Kauri species is the largest of all the Kauri’s on record and it is a pine even though it does not have a needle leaf. ‘Kauri Pine’ is the common name derived from the Maori name of the related New Zealand Kauri species (Agathis Australis).