tall

Bottle Trees can grow in a wide variety of soils and aspects and can sustain temperatures from -5 to +45 degrees. They can be used to provide shade from the sun and shelter from the wind. The Bottle Tree is very versatile and easy to grow and will make a fantastic addition to just about any location or environment. The Queensland Bottle Tree used to be primarily used as a feature tree in larger landscapes – when given the space to thrive, its bottle-shaped trunk really stands out, making it a fantastic focal point. The Queensland Bottle Tree is now a protected species, meaning that it can no longer be harvested from the wild. It plays an important role in what has now become an endangered ecosystem; the way in which it emerges from above other trees and plants enables it to provide a safe habitat for several native species, many of which are now endangered. Source: www.designertrees.com.au/trees/bottle-trees/

Brachychiton rupestris, commonly known as the narrow-leaved bottle tree or Queensland bottle tree, is a tree in the family Malvaceae[a] native to Queensland, Australia. Described by Sir Thomas Mitchell and John Lindley in 1848, it gained its name from its bulbous trunk, which can be up to 3.5 metres (11 ft) in diameter at breast height (DBH). Reaching 10–25 metres (33–82 ft) high, the Queensland bottle tree is deciduous, losing its leaves between September and December. The leaves are simple or divided, with one or more narrow leaf blades up to 11 centimetres (4 in) long and 2 centimetres (0.8 in) wide. Cream-coloured flowers appear from September to November and are followed by woody boat-shaped follicles that ripen from November to May. No subspecies are recognised. As a drought-deciduous succulent tree, B. rupestris adapts readily to cultivation and is tolerant of a range of soils and temperatures. It is a key component and emergent tree in the endangered central semi-evergreen vine thickets—also known as bottletree scrub—of the Queensland Brigalow Belt. Remnant trees are often left by farmers on cleared land for their value as shade and fodder trees. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_rupestris

One of the outstanding features of the Queensland Bottle tree is its bulbous trunk which, after around 10 years of growth, can be as large as 4 meters in diameter. This tree is extremely drought tolerant but ideally likes plenty of water which it stores between the inner bark and the trunk. This gives it its unique shape and the reason for its common name of the “Bottle Tree”. Its scientific name is Brachychiton rupestris. The name comes from its oddly shaped trunk, which resembles a chubby, narrow-necked bottle. The Queensland Bottle Tree does not have any known subspecies but does have some relatives: the Proserpine Bottle Tree, or Brachychiton Compactus, which can only be found near Proserpine, and the Ormeau Bottle tree, which is similar to the Proserpine Bottle Tree, with only slight variations in leaf colour and shape. Source: www.designertrees.com.au/trees/bottle-trees/

School House at Townsville Grammar School is a heritage-listed school building at Paxton Street, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Tunbridge & Tunbridge and built from 1903 to 1904. Townsville Grammar School opened in 1888 as a boys' school, but the school has accepted female students since 1893 when Mary Foley applied for admission. There was much debate over the admission of girls, with some parents considering them to be a disruptive influence on the boys' academic studies and that their admission would require expenditure on building modifications. However, others saw the financial benefit of their admission in a time of economic depression, when declining student numbers threatened the loss of their annual Queensland Government endowment. Like other schools in Townsville, Townsville Grammar was commandeered during the Second World War. The RAAF took over the buildings and grounds in February 1942 and its No.3 Fighter Sector HQ, which monitored and identified aircraft in the region and initiated air-raid warnings, were stationed at the school. Aerials and wires were visible on the roofs of the buildings, and huts were set up on the ovals to house members of the WAAAF. Meanwhile, the School moved into premises at Rosslea until January 1945, and did not regain full use of the whole grounds until later that year. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_House,_Townsville_Grammar_Sc...