It is believed to have been planted over 200 years, and still stands tall and proud today. It has also divided a street for almost a hundred of those 200 years. That street is called Overbury Drive in Clarence Park, Adelaide. I have known about this tree for years and have always wanted to see it, so recently I went and had a look with a friend. The tree definitely sits in the middle of the road. Below is a photo from Google street view dated August 2025. Here’s a link just to show you there is no photoshopping or AI involved here. https://maps.app.goo.gl/h8u3h3nuZuGRLdiC6 – But when I got there the street looked a little different.

Just a little history about the tree. Local groups say before former landowner, Gertrude Overbury died in 1943, she wrote instructions in her will, stating that the tree must not be cut down, and that wish was upheld, meaning the tree sat in the middle of the road when Clarence Park was developed. Why they made the street so the tree sat in middle of the road and not in a yard is a mystery to me.

When I arrived I was a little disappointed because the street had changed. Rather than act as a traffic island as above, one side of the street had be blocked off and it had become a shared lane on the other.

I wondered why on earth they had done this. So I went home and did some investigating on the good old internet.

Recently local groups became concerned with the trees health. It had started to die, especially the top branches. Council arborists began investigating why. They said it could be due to things such as disease, water supply and natural ageing processes. But they wanted to do what they could to save this old gum tree.

“A primary objective in the short term is to find ways to increase the amount of water getting to it, using construction methods for any street remediation works that will not have negative impact on the tree’s health,” the spokesperson said.

So the side of the street that was blocked to traffic had been dug up completely to allow water to get down to the roots. After reading this I am not as disappointed as I first was at the street looking a little different. So let’s hope it does its job, and the tree stands for another 200 years! If you’re ever in the area pop into Overbury Drive. It still surreal to look at.