Community & Business
23 January, 2026
Work begins on Clifon's Bottle Tree
The Toowoomba Regional Council began work on the ailing bottle tree on King Street last Wednesday.
The bottle tree has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks.
At the Jam Factory, morning coffees are sipped as gossip about the tree is flung across the table.
At O’Shanley’s its spoken about over a smoke, and at the Toowoomba Regional Council, they’re sick of Clifton Courier journalists asking for an update on the tree every second day.
It’s because the tree is symbolic.
Brisbane has the brown snake, Sydney has Kyle Sandiland, Paris has the Eiffel Tower and Clifton has its bottle tree.
It’s something that’s always been there in the background as lives have come and gone.
It’s seen more of this town than anyone.
Council workers, under the guidance of a contracted arborist, worked on the tree with everything from chainsaws, to the same sort of garden snippers that Nana uses.
The team removed a few limbs to steady the wonky, old tree and water-proofed the stumps with lithium grease.
Overall the team was working on the tree from about 7.30am well into the afternoon.
Councillor Carol Taylor told The Clifton Courier that “The expert arborist will always do their best for the tree.”
Cr Taylor, like many, also recognised the symbolic nature of Clifton’s bottle tree.
“It signifies resilience.”
