If you look closely you can see the scar caused by the local indigenous people
who cut a canoe from this tree many many years ago. This particular photo
taken while on the Darling river, not far from the pier where we started our boat trip from.

Aboriginal communities living along the rivers of south-eastern Australia cut the bark from
trees to build canoes. This practice was particularly prevalent along the River Murray and
its tributaries and has left an abundance of what we now call ‘canoe trees’. The plentiful
river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) around the Murray provided perfect bark for the
building of canoes. While the bark was still fresh and supple, it was fashioned into a
boat-like shape. The canoes were often propelled by the use of a long shaft like a punt.
The canoes did not have a long life as prolonged immersion in water caused the bark
sheets to become sodden. For this reason, the canoes were used for fishing and
crossing rivers rather than for extended journeys.