Over 100 year old cypress bent in the wind

When observing both native and introduced trees on the island, you cannot help but notice the effects of wind.

Situated on the edge of the Roaring 40s, Phillip Island suffers its share of wind, but not as much as we experienced when living on King Island, an island located midway between Victoria and Tasmania.

Trees bend in the wind, and because it blows so frequently and usually from the southwest, that's the direction of the lean of most trees.

The cypress tree growing at Grossard Point beside the grave of Captain William Grossard (who was accidentally shot while visiting a nearby property in 1868), shows the effects of wind over a period of more than 100 years. Its gnarled trunk and south-westerly lean show a tree of character and resilience -- a tree able to withstand storms and gales and still grow strongly on the cliff.