Aboriginal Scarred Tree - West End of Jones St, Stratford, Gippsland, VIC

Located on the edge of a cliff overlooking Blackall Creek, in Stratford, Victoria, the remains of an Aboriginal Scarred Tree can be found.  These Scarred Trees can still be found around Australia.  They remain as a monument to the times when the Aboriginal tribes roamed these lands . . .

Sheets of bark had many uses for Australia’s Aborigines.  They once fashioned bark canoes, shields, infant carriers, bowls , water carriers and Gunyahs (bark huts).  The removal of bark slabs from the tree would not necessarily kill the tree, but would forever leave a scar on the tree, as the bark cannot regrow on the exposed sapwood.  The exposed sapwood would eventually weather, crack and erode – resulting the scarred trees that are still evident today.

Removing an entire slab of bark from a tree required great skill and care, as a split in the sheet of bark was all but useless.  Toe holds are also often still visible.  They were crafted to enable the Aborigines to climb to higher reaches for look-outs, to hunt possums or to collect bee hives.

Helpful Hints:

– Close proximity to Town Centre – obtain Directions here

– Car Parking available along Hobson Street

– Other Historical POI’s in Stratford 

– Museums

– History Tours

– Facilities available at Stratford