Lone Pine stock update
Yarralumla Nursery is currently sold out of Lone Pine and the next allocation of trees is expected to be on sale in mid-2026.
Origins
Lone Pine or Plateau 400 was the scene of a major diversionary offensive launched by the 1st Australian Infantry Division on 6 August 1915. The terrain suffered considerable destruction during the Gallipoli campaign with the majority of the native tree cover destroyed or used as target practice. Only one tree on the ridge was not cut down and the Turkish Pine (Pinus bruti) became known as Lone Pine, giving the battlefield its name.
Two Australian soldiers souvenired pinecones from the ridge and brought them back to Australia.
Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith of the 3rd Battalion, whose brother was killed in the battle for Lone Pine Ridge, sent a cone home to his mother at Inverell in New South Wales. His mother kept the cone for 13 years before planting the seeds in 1928. She grew two seedlings, one of which she presented to the town of Inverell and the other to the Parks and Gardens section of the Department of the Interior in Canberra. The Duke of Gloucester planted this second tree at the Australian War Memorial in October 1934. Today, this tree is now known as the Lone Pine in honour of its battlefield origin and stands over 20 metres in height. It is the only remaining tree of the two original seedlings.
SGT Keith McDowell of the 24th Battalion carried a pinecone in his haversack until the end of the war. Upon returning home to Australia he gave it to his aunt who lived at Grassmere near Warrnambool, Victoria. A decade or so later, his aunt planted the seeds and four seedlings were grown. One was planted in May 1933 in Wattle Park in Melbourne. One at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. One at the Soldiers Memorial Hall at The Sisters and the last was planted in the Warrnambool Botanical Gardens. Of these, only the Wattle Park and Warnambool Botanical Gardens trees remain. The current pine at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne was propagated from the original planting.
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Recent distribution
In 1990 two trees were taken back to Gallipoli with war veterans who attended the memorial service to mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of Lone Pine.
Since the 1980s many trees have been grown by both seed and grafting techniques from material collected from the tree at the Australian War Memorial. These have been disseminated to many organisations including RSL branches and clubs, schools and other interested organisations.
Availability
Yarralumla Nursery now propagates a number of trees from seed collected seasonally from the tree at the Australian War Memorial. Yarralumla Nursery is currently sold out of Lone Pine and the next allocation of trees is expected to be on sale in mid-2026.
All enquiries regarding the purchase of Lone Pine seedlings should be directed to the Nursery preferable by email to Yarr.nursery@act.gov.au or by phone on 6207 2446.
Postage & handling to be billed to FREPUR item code.
Plants will only be dispatched on a Monday weekly. Customers who organise the collection of plants 140mm and above are asked to arrange collection on Mondays only.
You can view more information about The Lone Pine in The Lone Pine information sheet (PDF 288KB).
Yarralumla Nursery is now an official certified grower for all Ozbreed varieties please follow the link for more specified details and plant specification sheets.
Licensors website: www.ozbreed.com.au
Contact details for Yarralumla Nursery
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 7.30 am to 4.00 pm (closed Saturday, Sunday and public holidays)
Address: 9 Elm Avenue, Yarralumla ACT 2600. Phone: 02 6207 2447. Email: yarr.nursery@act.gov.au
