Palm Trees in Coburg, Victoria

These are some reports about Palm Tree planting in Coburg, Victoria, in the 1920s and 1930s. The Palm Tree seemed to be the favoured tree in Coburg and by 1934 it was reported that over 1000 had been planted.

Palms Will Wave In Streets of Coburg - Where strips of earth between paths and kerbs are wide enough in some Coburg streets, the council will plant palms instead of trees.

(Sun News-Pictorial, July 27, 1928, see here)   

Palms For Coburg Streets. Coburg Council adopted a recommendation by the curator last night

that in streets where the nature strip between the paving and the channel was wide enough, palms should be planted instead of trees.

(The Herald, July 26, 1928, see here) 

From a report of a Coburg City Council meeting - Beautifying Streets - From in Mr. A. W. Morris, offering to plant and maintain two palm trees in front of his property in Murray street, provided the council will supply the trees—Referred to the curator.

(Brunswick and Coburg Gazette, September 20, 1929, see here.) 

From a report of a Coburg City Council meeting - Consideration was given to a communication from the North-East Coburg Progress Association requesting that trees or palms be planted in Anzac avenue. It was decided that small flowering guns or eucalypts should be planted. The curator reported that as the nature strips were only 8 feet wide there would not be sufficient room for palms to expand.
(Brunswick and Coburg Gazette, October 23, 1931, see here) 

Murray Street Palms - At its last meeting, the Coburg council decided to comply with the request of interested residents that palm trees should be planted in Murray street from High street to Montifore street. The southern portion of Murray street has been planted with palms for some time.
(Brunswick and Coburg Courier, July 7, 1933, see here) 

Beautifying Coburg Streets. Following a report from the Curator relative to tree planting, Coburg Council intends to enter upon a scheme of replacement where tree guards are not required. Palms are to be planted in streets where the nature strips are suitable for such planting. The Curator will be asked to prepare a list of streets in which the planting of trees could proceeded with without the necessity of using guards. Planting in privates streets will also be undertaken.
(Brunswick Guardian, June 8, 1934, see here)  

Ornamental Palms For Coburg - Mr. A. T. Latham, secretary of the Victorian Society for the Protection of Animals, has presented Coburg Council with a large number of ornamental palms for street plantations and city beautification.
(Sun News-Pictorial, August 25, 1934, see here) 

Tree Planting at Coburg. Coburg council received a report from the curator that 1000 palms had been planted on the wide parkins in various streets and in the reserves. Already 2000 street trees and palms, as well as a number of shrubs, had been planted in the season.
(The Age, September 21, 1934, see here)

Two of Coburg's Palms outside the Town Hall, in Bell Street, you can just see the trunk of 

one on the left, behind the gun. 

Photographer: Rose Stereograph Co. Undated, but c. 1940s/1950s.

State Library of Victoria image H32492/7879

The Coburg Town Hall is bottom left, Coburg State School is bottom right and the building on

 the other side of Bell Street is Coburg High School, pre 1937 as that was the year the High School 

was extended with a new facade. (1)   

The  Palm Trees, War Memorial and the two guns are in front of the Town Hall. 

Palm Trees also line Bell Street and the path through the park to the oval. You can see this better

 in the high-res version here  https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/2043

Coburg looking south over Bell Street, pre 1937

Photographer: Airspy. State Library of Victoria image H91.160/1603

Coburg High School, c. 1940s. The extension and new facade of the School are from 1937, and you can clearly see the original building and the Bell Street Palm Trees.

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 10516/P0001, Coburg High School

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/7BC24D76-F7EA-11E9-AE98-BBE0984B5566?image=1

Another view of the Coburg High School and Bell Street Palm Trees c. 1940s. 

Public Records Office of Victoria VPRS 10516/P0001, Coburg High School

https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/7BC24D76-F7EA-11E9-AE98-BBE0984B5566?image=1

This image is from July 1957 - the Town Hall is bottom left, Coburg State School is bottom right

 and the building opposite is Coburg High School, with it's 1937 extension and facade.   

The War Memorial and the two guns are in front of the Town Hall, however the two Palm trees, 

seen in the image above, are no longer there and the Palm Trees along Bell Street have also gone.

Detail of Aerial view of City Oval, Bell Street, Coburg, Victoria, looking south, July 14, 1957.

Photographer: Airspy.  State Library of Victoria https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/4223253

It would appear from these photographs that Palm Trees were planted in Bell Street in the 1920s/1930s no doubt some of the 1,000 planted by 1934, however they had been removed by 1957.

Footnote
(1) The Herald, September 29, 1937, see here.