Markings 172

The Herbig Family Tree is a large, hollow red gum tree at Springton. It is estimated to be 300 to 500 years old with a diameter of seven metres at its base and a height of 24 metres. A small stream runs nearby. The tree was the first Australian home of 27 year old Friedrich Herbig who arrived in South Australia in 1855. In 1858 he married 18 year old Caroline Rattey and took her to live in the tree home. The first two of their 16 children were born there. In 1860 he built a two roomed pine and pug hut nearby, and as his family increased, built a stone cottage adjacent to the hut. Today the Herbig Family Tree represents a graphic link to early European settlement of the area. Herbig family reunions are held at the tree, usually every five years.