A cloned specimen of the famous Hovell Tree was planted at the former Deer Park Primary School site during a re-enactment of a 1938 planting ceremony that marked where Australian explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell passed on their 1824 expedition.
Brimbank administrators chairman John Watson and four Cairnlea Primary School captains were joined by members of the community and descendants of the Australian explorers at the planting last Monday.
The event also marked the opening of a new public space and stage one of a $150,000 redevelopment of the former school site.
Work has included relocating the Hume and Hovell cairn, and installing interpretative signage and bluestone seating and paving.
Alan Dash, of the Sunshine Historical Society, said it was great to see the space come to life again.
“There is a sense of history that we can really celebrate,” he said.
Former Deer Park Primary School pupil Sean McAlpine Jones said the site was an important part of Brimbank’s history.
