Drummond Avenue of Honour

Daylesford Road DRUMMOND, HEPBURN SHIRE

All information on this page is maintained by Vic. War Heritage Inventory. Click below for their website and contact details.

Vic. War Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • Physical Description 1

    Drummond Avenue of Honour - Physical Description 1

    Avenue. 50 trees Eucalyptus spp?

    Historical Australian Themes

    Drummond Avenue of Honour - Historical Australian Themes

    Remembering the fallen

    Veterans Description for Public

    Drummond Avenue of Honour - Veterans Description for Public

    The Drummond Avenue of Honour was planted by local residents to commemorate eleven fallen soldiers in the First World War. There were originally 50 trees evenly divided along both sides of the Daylesford road, starting on the south corner of the intersection of the Lauriston road and heading south. It is believed that the original planting was in gums, but as they became grub infested, they were removed and replaced with Elms.

    In Australia, commemorative trees have been planted in public spaces since the late nineteenth century. Arbor Days were held regularly in most Victorian State Schools during the late 1800s and early 1900s, and numerous trees were planted in parks in Melbourne and throughout Victoria to mark the visits of important and famous people.

    This tradition of commemorative planting was continued in 1901 when at the end of the Boer War trees were often planted for each soldier of the district who was killed in South Africa. These plantings, however, rarely consisted of more than two or three trees in each town.

    During and after the First World War avenues of honour consisting of trees lining significant streets became a popular form of commemoration. They represented a new egalitarian approach to the commemoration of soldiers where rank was not a consideration: each tree symbolises a person.

    Avenues of honour are a uniquely Australian phenomenon. Australians, and in particular Victorians, embraced the idea of planting them more enthusiastically than any other country in the world. The Eurack Avenue of Honour is the earliest known avenue of honour to be planted in Victoria and dates from May 1916.

    By the time of the Second World War avenues of honour had declined in popularity as a means of commemoration. Today it is estimated that over 300 avenues of honour have been planted in Victoria to commemorate service personnel since 1901.
    
    

• Location map
• Explore related places
  • Show:
    -- select -- Nearby Places

  • Drummond Avenue of Honour

    

    Vic. War Heritage Inventory
  • 
    Drummond War Memorial

    

    Vic. War Heritage Inventory
  • 
    Drummond State School Honour Roll (First World War)

    

    Vic. War Heritage Inventory
• Public contributions