Figtree Park is located off Raby Road and Traminer Place, Eschol Park. The reserve was created when residents protested against the proposed destruction of the magnificent Port Jackson Fig, from which the park takes its name, during development of the area. So three house blocks were purchased by Campbelltown City Council and dedicated for the park.
The full story takes slightly longer to relate, but started in 1983/84 when a concerned resident contacted then Alderman Peter Primrose, now a Labor Party member in the State Legislative Council and resident of Camden, when it appeared that a magnificent Port Jackson Fig tree would be lost to make way for a road in a new housing development.
Peter first inspected the site with the resident, then took the then Mayor, Bryce Regan to see for himself. Bryce climbed the tree like an excited 8 year old, and yelled, "We'll save this !".
When the matter came before Council, the road was realigned to protect the tree and to enhance the visual landscape of the community. Now, whenever Peter passes Raby Road with his son in the car, he is able to say, "That's the one which started the Historic and Significant Tree Register. "
Now, if a development application comes before Council and there is a tree on the property that is listed on the Register, Councillors must decide what happens. No council employee can make that decision alone.
A study of the buttressed roots
The Tree