by Shane Sody

The City of Adelaide horticultural team is investigating why two huge Park Lands trees failed over the Christmas-New Year period.

No-one was injured, despite the twin collapses occurring in a children’s playground, and over a popular walkway.

On Friday 27 December 2024, a large eucalytpus collapsed in the Bonython Park Adventure playground.

This is one of the most popular parts of the Adelaide Park Lands, often crowded with children, and it’s remarkable that no-one was under this tree when it fell.

*Friday 27 December: the tree down, alongside the “mouse wheel” - one of the popular play facilitites in the Bonython Park Playspace. Pic: supplied*

*9 January 2025 - the tree had been standing in the foreground woodchipped area.*
*Inset: Google Streetview image of the tree before the collapse.*

A few days later, an even larger tree split at the base of its trunk, and came down off Victoria Drive in Red Gum Park / Karrawirra (Park 12).

This African coral tree (Erythrina caffra) fell shortly after 8pm on the evening of Tuesday 7 January. Its massive weight brought down power lines and uprooted two stobie poles on Victoria Drive.

*The tree before its collapse. Pic: Google Streetview*

Police were called, to divert traffic, pedestrians and cyclists, not just from Victoria Drive, but also from the popular River Torrens Linear Pathway and the University of Adelaide footbridge, due to the danger on the walkway from the fallen power lines.

The two stobie poles were quickly re-instated by SA Power Networks, but it took almost two days to clear away the remains of the tree.

*9 January 2025: Logs from the fallen tree being removed by City of Adelaide staff*

*9 January 2025: the remaining stump of the African coral tree*

Neither of these two trees were brought down by strong winds. On each day (27 December, and 9 January) temperatures in Adelaide were cool to mild, and winds were light - only 7 to 10 kilometres per hour, from the west.

There are many thousands of trees throughout your Adelaide Park Lands. The most common reason that hundreds of trees in your Park Lands fall down is purposely, due to State Government contractors with chainsaws, preparing for massive new buildings.

However, isolated accidents also occur. Less than 12 months ago, an Adelaide University student, 22-year-old Alifia Soeryo was sitting under a large river red gum in Bullrush Park / Warnpangga (Park 10) – when it split at the base and a section of the trunk fell, killing her.

The chances of being hit by a falling tree are very remote. You are much more likely to be killed in a car crash, but these two recent incidents are examples of potential tragedies that were averted only by good fortune.