The Maternity Tree

Just off the road between Talbot and Maryborough, is a really old, large tree with an open space forming a shelter at the base of the trunk. This is the maternity tree. According to the Talbot Indigenous Heritage Web site:

The Aboriginal Maternity Tree is a giant River Red Gum, estimated to be about 700 years old – dating from the time when the Black Death swept across Europe. It has a 15 metre girth and its hollowed out centre was used as a shelter by the Dja Dja Wurrung clan, particularly by Dja Dja Wurrung women giving birth. It is recorded as a Significant Tree on the Register of the National Trust.

Given its long history as a place of refuge for women, it is a place that gives one pause.

So much history tied up in a living thing. Visiting here makes it easier to understand the connection the aboriginals have with the the land, the animals, and the plants. Just an old tree at the side of the road has, though the interaction with people for hundreds of years, become something much more.