Also known as Kunumudj, the Boab Prison Tree is a registered Aboriginal Site. Many believe that it is 1,500 years old, and it has a disputed dark history.
The Boab Prison Tree is a Adansonia gregorii, which is the only boab species in north western Australia. These trees are known for their large, bottle-shaped trunks and they can hold thousands of litres of water. The trunk of the Boab Prison tree has a circumference of over 14 metres. It has an oblong slit in the bark that leads to a hollow, which is common in older boab trees when the trunk tissue dies.
History of the tree
The Boab Prison Tree is located in Kemberley region of Australia and its history dates back centuries. It is connected to Indigenous Australians, as boab trees are important to Indigenous Australians as parts of the tree are edible and can be used to make medicine.
Unfortunately, not all the history is happy.
They are part of the colonial landscape of Australia, as many boabs have been etched with the names of European explorers. The Boab Prison Tree, however, has much darker history. It is believed to have been used as a temporary holding cell for Indigenous Australians being transported to the Derby Gaol in the 19th century. The tree is now a symbol of the resilience of the Indigenous population and the history of the colonisation.
Cathie Clement, a historian, suggests the Indigenous people were captured and trapped in the Boab Prison Tree before being enslaved.
However, other historians and anthropologists dispute this claim. Historian Kim Akerman asked the oldest Indigenous population in the Derby area, and none could confirm that it had been used as a temporary prison.
Historians Elizabeth Grant and Kristyn Harman suggest that this history was manufactured as a part of dark tourism, which is where tourists travel to locations that are associated with death or disaster. As there is no mention of the tree being used as a holding cell, this could be the case.
Boab tree trail
Regardless of the Boab Prison Tree’s history, it is now a protected site and is surrounded by a fence to ensure its safety. It is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year.
There are multiple boabs in Kemberley, surrounded by beautiful and varied landscapes. It is possible to walk a trail to see these beautiful and ancient trees. One such tree is accompanied by a Strangler Fig by Annie Creek while another stands on the top of the waterfall of Galvans Gorge, which boasts beautiful, ancient rock art.
