Queensland Heritage Council

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Heritage listing for 500-year-old fig tree

A 500-year-old strangler fig tree that has fascinated tourists on the Atherton Tableland since the 1920s has been entered in the Queensland Heritage Register.

Queensland Heritage Council (QHC) Chair, David Eades, said the Curtain Fig Tree played an important part in making the Cairns hinterland one of Queensland’s major tourist regions.

“The immense size of the Curtain Fig Tree together with its unusual curtain-like root system created a sense of wonder and curiosity amongst early settlers on the Atherton Tableland,” Mr Eades said.

“It was one of the most visited large trees in the 1920s when giant strangler figs such as this one were considered to be freaks of nature.

“In the 1950s the Curtain Fig Tree was included in the Grand Tour and Tropical Wonderland itineraries which brought visitors from Melbourne and Brisbane to Cairns onboard P&O ships each week to tour the region.

“As car ownership increased in the 1960s, tourist numbers to the Cairns hinterland and hence to the Curtain Fig Tree increased even more.

“Still a popular tourist destination today, it’s hoped the Curtain Fig Tree will be viewed with wonder and awe for many generations to come,” Mr Eades said.

The Curtain Fig Tree is located in Curtain Tree National Park about one kilometre north of the town of Yungaburra on the Atherton Tableland.

Date: 10 December 2009

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Heritage listing for 500-year-old fig tree