In the grounds of Beechworth Primary School stands a large and aged Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). The species was introduced to Australia in the 1800s to supplement the logging industry in the development of early settlements and the Fairy Tree, as it is known locally, was most likely already in place when Beechworth Primary was erected in 1875.

Standing on the west side of the school building as you face it from Junction Road, the tree overlooks the school's sporting oval, where games of cricket and Australian Rules Football are played, plus the annual athletics events. A steep incline leads down onto the green of the sporting field and many children can be found sitting on this grassy verge at lunchtime and during 'playtime'¹.

In the summer months the evergreen conifer is a wonderful source of shade, and many students sit under its branches to escape the hot sun, but also to play or watch their friends enjoying games on the oval. The area under the tree is also prime position for parents who come to watch school sports, so it is often as the early morning fog is still hanging over the oval that the first of the spectators stake their claim under the tree with a picnic blanket. But the adults are more infrequent users of the Fairy Tree, its presence is a large part of school life for many of the children of Beechworth.

Playing Under the Fairy Tree

The tree is a meeting place; for the beginning of many games, teachers who are on playground duty, older children to talk and even blossoming young love. But, mostly, it is for the kids to play under.

Small Houses and Tunnels

The large roots and bark of the Fairy Tree are often used as either makeshift doll's houses, garages or even roads and tunnels for many types of toys by the schoolchildren. The tree is an integral partner in play, and over time it has 'swallowed' up many small metal cars, dolls or favourite Transformers - lost in dark nooks and crannies forever.

Tag

Also known as 'chasey', 'tiggy', 'dob' or even the older children's version, 'kiss-chasey', this game is often started under the Fairy Tree. A group of competitors will stand next to the tree and after a process of elimination someone is named 'it'. This person then turns to face the tree and counts to a specified number² while the others run off, before turning back around and attempting to find and 'catch' the other players.

The 'Rock'

Next to the tree on the embankment is a large granite rock. This rock is used for many purposes. Younger children will play on it, pretending it is a truck/boat/airplane/spaceship, while the older children use it as a place of meditation. An island away from the branches of the Fairy Tree, it still comes under its influence, involved in many of the schoolchildren's games.

Carvings

As with any large tree, there is also the ever-present graffiti. Some are affirmations of love; 'CH 4 LC 4 eva', others are slurs on the characters of teachers or other students; 'Mr Green sux' or 'JJ is a poofta³'. But the Fairy Tree takes these in its stride, along with all the other mixed emotions that come to be under its branches.

Inhabitants of the Tree

Due to the size, and age, of the Fairy Tree it is also home to many Australian natives. The bark of the tree can hide large spiders, and parrots and cockatoos often perch in the higher branches. Families of possums have also been known to make the tree their home, with the schoolchildren feeding them bits of apple or unwanted lunch. But it is the apparently magical occupants that attract most attention.

Fairies and Ghosts

The Fairy Tree is so named because of the belief that it is a home for fairies and other fantastic creatures, much like Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree, and the students of the school have even designed and built their own 'Fairy Garden' under the tree. Other local stories tell that the tree harbours an old spirit that watches over the children of the school, protecting them from danger.

Even if the simple truth is that the Fairy Tree is just that, a tree, it has a mysterious and enchanting ambience. Brave children will occasionally climb its branches searching for signs of fairies. Older children at the school will casually dismiss the belief, but even as adults they often return, sometimes at night, to spot an elusive fairy or just simply sit under the tree and reminisce. And this will most likely happen for many following generations of Beechworth children, as the trees have been known to survive for over 2,000 years.

Other Local Attractions

The people of Beechworth not only play under the Fairy Tree in their youth, but also spend a lot of their summer holiday time at the Gorge Swimming Hole.

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¹ Recess.
² Usually 100, but it could be ten, or 20 or even just whenever the chaser stops counting.
³ Australian slang for homosexual.