Tree Talk is a storytelling project that explores the mysteries and magic of trees in the Albury Botanic Gardens (Wodonga Place, Albury).
The Bleeding-Heart tree (Omalanthus populifolius) wears his heart on his leaves. The Hollywood tree (Pittosporum rhombifolium) yearns for her moment in the sun. Meanwhile, the Fire Wheel tree (Stenocarpus sinuatus) and the Flame Tree (Brachychiton citriodora) are rocking out to heavy metal music and dreaming of summer. Over towards the Children’s Garden, Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is making a nice cup of tea and Fern (Dicksonia antarticia) has lost another frond! But it’s old Bunya’s secret that has all the trees talking...
Trees are very social beings. They love to be connected to one another. In a forest setting, trees talk to each other through the soil using a ‘wood wide web’ of fungus; but in a garden setting, they are interdependent in a different way.
After learning about the secret lives of trees in the Albury Botanic Gardens, local artist Rachel McNamara and students from Albury North Public School gave voice to the trees in the Rainforest Walk.
Tree Talk launched at the 2022 Write Around the Murray (WAM) Festival at the Botanic Gardens, with students voicing some of their tree talks live!
Journey to the Albury Botanic Gardens with your mobile device to meet the rainforest walk trees and hear their voices. Six of the trees are signposted in the gardens with QR codes linking to their webpages containing their audio files and transcripts. The other 13 are shy trees, so use the Rainforest Walk map to locate them, then use the Contents links below to find their webpages and hear their stories.
The Rainforest Walk
This self-guided rainforest walk through the gardens is intended to introduce you to these trees. The walk starts north of the main gates and takes 40 minutes to complete at a leisurely pace.
As you walk along this trail listen to the sounds of the trees as they talk to one another. If you listen carefully, you will be able to hear their stories…
Find the tree locations on the map, then click on the corresponding link below to hear the tree’s story as voiced by the students of Albury North Public School.
