Crossroads Medieval Village

Treeplanting and landscaping is encouraged at Crossroads, providing that the plants are:

Of medieval European appearance, or local native species; see the Crossroads website for suggestions. Note that we’re not planting eucalypts in the camping area as they are more fireprone and many are prone to dropping limbs unexpectedly.
Not noxious weeds, and are unlikely to spread to the nature reserve, and
They are non-toxic to stock and children.

Note that the Southern Tablelands are fairly inhospitable for plants, with regular droughts and heavy frost and a couple of good snowfalls a year. All plants need wire cages to protect them from kangaroos, wallabies, rabbits and hares.

Plantings at Crossroads are governed by the co-op’s rules for minor projects. If you are planting within your campsite, no special approval is needed, and outside that area you need to apply to the Crossroads Festival Liaison Officer for written approval, as specified in the minor projects section of this website.

Recommended species

Local/recommended native species include the following:

Black Cypress Pine – Callitris endlicheri
River She Oak – Casuarina cunninghamiana
Drooping She Oak - Allocasuarina verticillata
Hickory/Lightwood - Acacia implexa
Silver Wattle - Acacia dealbata
Black Wattle – Acacia mearnsii

The following eucalypts are local, but are not recommended for camping areas or the western boundary, as eucalypts in general are relatively fireprone and can drop limbs unexpectedly. They could be planted in other areas of the site.

Red Box - Eucalyptus polyanthemos
Red Stringybark - Eucalyptus macrorhyncha
River She Oak - Casuarina cunninghamiana
Yellow Box - Eucalyptus melliodora

European plants that might be considered include cork or holm oaks, which do well in dry weather. Pin oaks are American but do well in our climate, and will count as European.

Carob trees are slow-growing but will withstand drought. Crabapple trees seem to do very well on our site. Rosemary should do well, and perhaps olives. Trees such as silver birch and poplars may do well in the valleys. Ash trees do reasonably well in Canberra, but not Mountain Ash (Rowan) alas. Hardier plums should do well. Stone pine (the pine nuts tree) is another good option; radiata pine is not european, but would be OK, but not too close to the camping area as it is not great in bushfires.

Yarralumla Nursery in Canberra sells bulk farm trees. Dan & Dan Nursery in Yass is a good source for advanced fruit trees.

Noxious weeds

No noxious weeds are to be planted at Crossroads. In most instances this is unlikely anyway, and the full list is at the NSW Agriculture site.

The banned plants include blackberry, horehound, pampas grass, Paterson’s curse, prickly pear, rhus tree, salvinia, english broom, scottish broom, St John’s wort, sweet briar and willows. Oleander is not a noxious weed but may not be planted either.

Exemption: Weeping Willows, and two Pussy Willows, are not considered noxious — see the Ag website for more information.