026 Walk among ancient living fossils

Plant your very own little piece of history and preserve a living fossil.

By planting your own little piece of history, you could help preserve a species. The Wollemi Pine is a living fossil unique to Australia, discovered in 1994 in NSW’s Wollemi NP.

At around 90 million years young, it’s one of the world’s oldest living fossils, with less than 100 mature trees growing only within this small region of the Blue Mountains.

Highly adaptable, they can survive in severe climates ranging from -5ºC to 45ºC. Officially listed as a threatened species, experts believe the best way to conserve them is to grow them domestically in pots and gardens.

So be unequalled in gift-giving this year and purchase someone a Wollemi Pine, with sales go to funding ongoing research.

Where // Wollemi NP, 130km northwest of Sydney. (07) 5486 4833, www.wollemipine.com

Did you know? // Indoor pot plants are sophisticated pollution absorbing devices, especially from the Araucaria family, of which the Wollemi Pine and Norfolk Island Pine are members, have been hailed as some of the most effective and efficient plants for de-toxing indoor environments.