The dangers that gum trees can pose to travellers has one again been highlighted by a terrifying incident in a Southern Downs National Park near the NSW / Qld border.
A woman has been flown to hospital after a massive gum tree fell on her campsite, crushing a gazebo and leaving her trapped underneath for more than half an hour.
News.com.au reports that the woman, who is in her twenties, was sitting with friends and their dogs at a camping area on Easter Saturday when the tree ‘suddenly toppled’.
The Toowoomba RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter was called to the scene and the woman was treated and prepared for her flight.
Camping under a gum tree can be a very dangerous thing to do. PIC: Cizza
She was assessed to have suffered impact injuries to her back and was flown to Toowoomba Hospital in a stable condition. No other people or pets were injured.
This is certainly not the first tragic gum tree accident to affect campers, visitors to national parks, or even caravanners driving along highways.
In 2019, a group of campers were lucky to escape with their lives after a huge gum tree branch fell across their campsite at Twin Knobs Beach at Cobram in Victoria.
In 2018, a young family had to be taken to hospital after a tree fell on their tent at the Nanga Mill campsite in Lane Poole Reserve near Dwellingup in WA. The incident happened in the middle of the night while the family were sleeping. A baby girl suffered serious head injuries and a dog killed.
In 2016, a man was killed on a camping trip after a large gum tree fell on him in the Conondale National Park in Queensland.
A few years before that, a woman was killed when a tree branch fell on her at a campsite at Boorhaman, north of Wangaratta in Victoria. Another camper — a woman in her 40s — was also trapped under the branches of the red gum tree, but was pulled to safety and escaped with minor injuries.
Similarly, a couple staying near the Bluewater Caravan Park in Townsville a few years suffered serious injuries after a tree fell on their caravan.
And one grey nomad couple even had a tree fall on them as they drove along the Glenelg Highway in Victoria.
Experts warn that trees can drop limbs, or entire trees can fall, without warning and at any time. However, they may be particularly prone to dropping a limb or falling when they are stressed by events such as high wind, extreme temperature, or heavy rain.
Campers need to be aware that falling tree limbs may bounce against other limbs, and swing out well beyond the edge of the tree’s canopy.
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I never park near gum trees not even when I’m shopping, I’m scared of limb drop and huntsman spiders too
Gum trees are not called “widow makers” for no reason.
Whenever I am camping still today I choose tent sites that are NOT beneath or near any variety of a tree/s with heavy branches.
Even in some well maintained caravan and camping tourist parks the office staff assign campers sites beneath Gum and other large limbed trees often saying “this is a perfect tent site for you to enjoy”. I have had that same exact statement said to me even recently, so I have always gone there and then to check it out first and I am often appalled to discover so many tall trees above and hanging down over “the office staff’s idea of it being a perfect site for a tent”.
On return to the camp office in these situations I state it’s not a safe tent site and why often to looks of amazement by staff members who do not get out into the camping grounds to view the hazards of large trees and GUM trees in particular. I then quote a site number that I would be content to safely pitch my tent saying because it is clear of large overhanging trees and branches.
Shady sites might be appealing in Summer but everyone should be aware of their lurking danger particularly when holidaying in a tent! I have seen large trees becoming waterlogged, splitting and falling over.
I was camping in a well maintained Holiday Camping ground in early 1990’s with my husband and our then teenage daughter. It had rained solidly for 5 days and nights. So we decided to head into town for the morning and to our amazement on our return there was a fallen waterlogged medium size tree which had been growing on a low embankment behind our tent site, sprawled on top of our tent, it took 3 gents to haul it off and our dome tent itself was a write off.
The Holiday Camp Management refunded our site fees and put us in a cabin for the remainder of our stay.
But we had to replace our damaged tent ourselves.
I remember my old Dad always warning to never camp under any large limbed tree/s and he always quipped that camping under Gum trees in particular had been long referred to as being “widow-makers” due to the trees natural self pruning habits of its limbs.
Also large trees after heavy rainfalls have the habit of continuing to release the rainwater that has drenched their thick leafy branches, so your tent and site will remain damp for longer.
Over the many years when camping in the great outdoors was not as popular as it has become again lately, there is a lot of camping wisdom that has been forgotten &/or lost. Once upon a time family members used to pass this kind of wisdom down through the generations.
Yes i never park under gum trees after seeing some pics
I always avoid camping or parking under large trees, for all the reasons stated in this article. many years ago I pulled into an on street parking area in West Wyalong and got out of the car in time to be greeted by a long eucalyptus branch which fell across the bonnet and nearly knocked me off my feet. There was minimal damage done, but it was a reminder that branches can fall with no warning.
When you consider the number of vehicle accidents involving people that are going camping the risk of getting hit by a falling tree or part there of is very low. No one suggests that we should abandon their cars because of the risk so why get so “wrapped around the axles” over getting hit by falling trees. After all life is dangerous but the alternative is not very appealing to most.