Aussie Icon Immortalised in Stainless
A 200-year-old Australian icon has been immortalised in a new stainless steel home. The ‘Tree of Knowledge’ is cherished as the birthplace of Australia’s labour movement. It is believed that shearers gathered under the tree in 1891, striking for workers’ rights.
The $6 million timber and stainless steel memorial was officially unveiled earlier this year in Barcaldine, Queensland to house the remains of the tree following its death in 2006. ASSDA Accredited fabricator St Clair Sheetmetal supplied and installed 6.5 tonnes of mirror finished stainless steel cladding to achieve a highly reflective surface and provide a durable and stunning monument.
“We clad all the trusses of the mirror finish stainless steel so it looks like a cathedral inside,” David St Clair said. “The panels make the light reflect down underneath and takes away the brown of the building,” he said. The heritage-listed site is now protected from the elements and the Tree of Knowledge has been given a new lease on life.
This article featured in Australian Stainless magazine - Issue 46, Winter 2009.