Description
This Hills Weeping Fig has a massive trunk and basal area with extensive raised surface roots radiating along the elevated verge adjacent to the boundary with an adjoining private property. It has a height of 14-15m and a spread of approximately 18-20m. The trunk diameter above the root flare is approximately 1.4m however the buttressing style roots spread over a 3-4m.
It creates a dramatic sense of place and scale to this location and continues the lush, native evergreen and broadleaf theme typical of nineteenth century planting in the Glebe area. The tree has been heavily pruned in past years due to its proximity to power lines.
Significance
This fig has local significance in terms of its visual and historic values. Although not a particularly tall specimen, this very old Hills Weeping Fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hilii) is a tree of great visual prominence located at the junction of Cook Street and Glebe Point Road.
Historical notes
It has been believed that this fig may pre-date the construction of Cook street and the surrounding subdivision and that it would have been a component of a former large estate. Cook Street was constructed sometime between 1885 and 1892 (Map of the City of Sydney and Suburbs, Gibbs Shallard & Co., 1885). The Hills Weeping Fig (Ficus microcarpa var. hilii) was not normally used in Sydney until the early 1900’s therefore it is more likely the tree dates from this period. It is clearly an early planting of the species as it is visible in the 1943 aerial photo of the area, associated with a large house and garden which occupied the corner of Cook Street and Glebe Point Road.
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