Description
Access onto the property was not possible during the course of the study, but it was visible from the adjoining McDonald Lane. The mature Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) is situated in an elevated western position on the Potts Point ridge-line within the grounds of the high-rise apartment block ‘Habitat’. It is in the north-western, elevated courtyard and lawn area adjacent to the swimming pool and high-rise apartment building.
This fig appears to be in good health and condition with a dense canopy and good health and vigour. Some pruning adjacent to apartment block has occurred to lower and mid-lateral branches. It has a height of approximately 22-25m with a spread of 20m. It has a trunk diameter at 1m above ground level of approximately 1.3m
Significance
This native evergreen rainforest fig is significant as an individual specimen with local aesthetic, visual and historic values. This tree’s massive bulk creates a very important buffer between the property’s multi-storey apartment block and surrounding terraces and apartments. It is believed that this tree is a remnant of a former large garden, and was possibly part of the McQuade family estate, which stretched from Wylde Street to Victoria Street between the period 1858 to 1890 (refer to ‘Bomera’ & ‘Tarana’, 1 Wylde Street, Potts Point in this Register).
Historical notes
The Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) was a key element of many early planting schemes on larger estates prior to subdivision and urban development (refer to listings in Elizabeth Bay Road and Billyard Avenue in this Register).
A tree of reasonably substantial proportion is clearly evident in the 1943 aerial photo of the area and is believed to be the same tree. It is associated with a formal garden of a now demolished mansion style house.
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