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barbarajoy | all galleries >> Melbourne, My Home City - 6 galleries >> Melbourne's Parks and Gardens > Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens, on the city edge
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Melbourne's Fitzroy Gardens, on the city edge

One of the greatest attractions for children is situated in the Fitzroy Gardens - Ola Cohn's Fairies Tree, comprising a series of lovely carvings on the stump of one of the original Red Gum trees in the Fitzroy Gardens, well over 300 years in age.

"From 1931 to May 1934 - Victoria's Centenary Year - Miss Cohn worked on the delightful likenesses of fairies, dwarfs, gnomes, a marvelous jackass, koalas, flying foxes and a host of typical Australian animals and birds. She used all the natural irregularities and curves to transform the tree trunk into a thing of beauty.

Her intentions are best described in the foreword to her book, "The Fairies Tree", inscribed on the tree's plaque :

"I have carved in a tree in the Fitzroy Gardens for you, and the fairies, but mostly for the fairies and those who believe in them, for they will understand how necessary it is to have a fairy sanctuary - a place that is sacred and safe as a home should be." - Wikipedia


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laine04-May-2019 20:53
Sorry, the link didn't work but it's easy to find if your interested.
laine04-May-2019 20:52
As a point of interest, Barbara, you know our home town ( city ) is Bendigo and it was Ola's too. Born and raised there where her family were well known in the industry of brewing. There are Cohn family members still living there I believe.
Here is a link, Julius Cohn was her father. <https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/1882-cohn-brothers-first-australian-lager/

I remember being fascinated by her fairy tree.
Pieter Bos04-May-2019 20:36
Great find! ~V
Helen Betts04-May-2019 14:02
What a delightful work of art, and a fine capture of it. V.
Yvonne04-May-2019 10:26
What a special tree this is, and lovely image. v
joseantonio04-May-2019 10:16
nice capture and interesting information.V
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