Community & Business
18 November, 2025
Council seeking to preserve historic bottle tree
The significant lean on the last remaining bottle tree on King Street, which is over a century old, is being investigated by Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC).
TRC Parks and Recreation Services portfolio spokesperson Councillor Tim McMahon said Council understands and shares the community’s appreciation for the historical and local significance of the bottle tree located in King Street, Clifton.
“The tree has recently shown signs of structural decay. As a result, Council is taking the utmost care in the management of the tree to ensure its long-term health and safety with a strong desire to retain it,” Cr McMahon said.
“Council is engaging a highly skilled specialist arborist to provide expert advice on pruning which is necessary to prevent further decay and damage.
“The aim of this is to maintain the tree in the healthiest condition possible.
“This consulting arborist will be onsite to oversee and guide the pruning when it takes place.
“Due to current storm response activities across the Region, a confirmed schedule for these works has not yet been set.
“Council remains committed to the careful preservation of this important tree and to ensuring any works are undertaken with respect for its heritage and significance to the Clifton community.”
The bottle tree, outside the Clifton Courier office, is the last remaining of four planted in 1917-18 in King Street by Mr E. P. Wells, who was the local Queensland National Bank manager at the time, and his wife, honouring one of his staff, other bank staff and local men who served in World War One.
Two bottle trees were planted in 1917 across the street in front of Bruce Hamilton’s garage and a little further up, while this tree and a fourth were planted on the western side of King Street during November and December, 1918.
Of course, when they planted the bottle tree, Mr and Mrs Wells could not have imagined that, 100 years later, it would be a cause of some concern to the local government authority.
As the years have gone by and the tree grew larger, it has caused a bottle neck for drainage.
On the eve of the tree’s centenary in 2018, the Courier reported the concerns local residents have had about the small lake which appears after rain and the competing interests of maintaining the tree’s presence while trying to manage its negative impact.
By 2018, TRC had already spent some time trying to improve the situation and over the past seven and a half years a solution is yet to be found.
