fitzroy gardens- fairies tree

Went to the Fitzroy Gardens today to do some school reading while taking advantage of the incredible weather and beautiful park space in Melbourne. I love that I am in Australia where it is the end of the summer and the sun shines every day. Sometimes I think about the fact that I was once considering going to England this semester. In retrospect that would have been a rather terrible decision- everything would have been gloomy and expensive. I think about that sometimes… and I smile. Australia was so much the right chose it is almost incomprehensible that I considered going anywhere else.


So to revel in the wonderfulness of Melbourne, Australia I went to the Fitzroy Gardens. Throughout the city of Melbourne there are various parks and gardens. Some are vast expansive of grass decorated with shade-providing trees, others contain historical landmarks, fountains, ponds, and other wonders. They are all pedestrian-only (you can only bike in them if you are biking with a child under the age of 12) and they are thoroughly utilized, especially (at least on the weekends) by families with young children. Wonderful places to be.


Within the Fitzroy Gardens is the Fairies Tree. The Fairies Tree is a 300-year-old stump of red gum tree carved by Ola Cohn. The tree has fairies, dwarfs, gnomes, and Australian animals carved into it. And the plaque at the foot of the tree is inscribed with the foreword to her book, “The Fairies Tree.” It reads: “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 to all living creatures” (1932).