Canoe Tree

The first methods of river transport

To make a canoe, the aborigines would first make an outline of the shape they required with cutting stones or stone tools. Once the shape was mastered, they cut deeply into the tree to the heartwood (or xylem), prying the bark off in one piece with stick or rocks.

To make a canoe, the ends of the bark were then curled up and pushed together. Some were made watertight by the addition of clay and grass in any leaky areas.

True canoe trees rarely have the scar extending to the base of the trunk.

The sign reads "By means of Stone Axes, the Aborigines removed a single sheet of bark without breaking.  From a suitable River Red Gum the bark was seasoned and shaped into a canoe."