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Cove 19 Newly Paved Campfire Area - Fake News Loop, Forest of Conspiracy

Cove 19 Newly Paved Campfire Area - Fake News Loop, Forest of Conspiracy

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Raintrees Native and Rainforest Gardens - Diamond Beach, NSW

During 2019 much of the NSW Mid North Coast experienced arguably one of the worst extended droughts and subsequent bushfire seasons since the 1788 British colonisation of Australia. During 2019 the annual rainfall recorded on the lower Mid North Coast of NSW was just 478 mm, as compared to normal years where annual rainfall ranges from 1200 to 1600mm per year.
This event significantly impacted Raintrees Native and Rainforest Gardens, a rainforest arboretum at Diamond Beach.
Many trees died but significant numbers of planted Archontophoenix cunninghamiana - Bangalow Palms wilted causing them to drop over in the crownshaft resulting in a phenomenon called 'Crown Collapse'. Once the crown and emerging fronds suffer 'Crown Collapse' its only a matter of time before the entire crown and fronds of the palm dry out and die.
At Raintrees Native and Rainforest Gardens this event resulted in near on 100 palms dying, many at least 8-10m tall.
Most of the deaths occurred here in the area which has come to be known as the Forest of Conspiracy so named as the drought of 2019 coincided with the emergence of many conspiracy theories which became associated with the Trump administration in the USA from 2016 to 2020.
With so many dead palms presenting a serious fire risk it became necessary to cut them down during February March of 2020. When this task was complete the entire forest here was almost bare of plants. With the drought effectively breaking on January 8th 2020 It was decided that no more Bangalow Palms would be planted here and instead, the area which was enclosed by a circular track, came to be known as Fake News Loop. This area was replanted in March April with hardy subtropical and dry rainforest species.
With so many dead palms, before any planting could occur, it became necessary to burn the fronds and trunks to avoid further fire risk in the coming spring. An area was cleared out and made safe for burning. That area became known as Cove 19. At the time NSW was subject to strict Covid 19 socialisation restrictions. Our neighbours nevertheless were undeterred and when they saw the fires happening, they'd visit with a bottle of red wine and we would sit around the fire, socially distanced of course.
This led to plans to eventually pave this area and build seating, making it a permanent social space in the midst of the Forest of Conspiracy.
The paving and construction of seating was finally completed in May of 2025, though some landscaping still remains.
Cove 19 is now a peaceful place of retreat in the middle of the forest, a place I now enjoy visiting most days.

   

Taken in: Australia / New South Wales / Diamond Beach (show map)

Taken on: April 27, 2025

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Main Arm Moor Creek

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Raintrees Native and Rainforest Gardens

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Forest of Conspiracy « less

Sets appears in: • PANORAMAS - ALBUM 3 of 3 • Raintrees Native and Rainforest Gardens more » • Album 4 of 4 - Mid North Coast, NSW, Australia « less

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