Gregory's Tree Historical Reserve

Gregory's Tree Historical Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory and it is situated within the Judbarra / Gregory National Park and is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north-west of Timber Creek and on the Victoria Highway and is a registered heritage site.^[1][2] The reserve is a small one consisting of 2 hectares (4.9 acres).^[3]

Gregory's tree (Boab) at Victoria River, in the 1890s

Gregory's tree, 1900

Gregory's tree itself is a boab tree (Adansonia gregorii) which is sacred to the Ngarinman people; for this reason it is also registered as a sacred site.^[1][4][5]

A permanent declaration placing it on the Northern Territory Heritage Register made on 1 March 1995.^[6]

History

Gregory's Tree, which the reserve encapsulates, was named for Augustus Charles Gregory when he was the leader of the North Australia Expedition in 1855 - 1856 and it marks an area where he camped. The dates of these camps, 13 October 1855 and 2 July 1856, is inscribed into the tree trunk and where designed to serve as a marker of their expedition; in case they came into trouble.^[1][7][8]

The species of tree was also named and first described by Ferdinand von Mueller, the botanist for the expedition, in honour of Gregory.^[5]