Tree of the Month | Mount Alexander Road’s Canary Island Date Palms

Common name: Canary Island Date Palm 

Botanical name: Phoenix canariensis 

Type: Avenue 

Location: Mt Alexander Road, Between Shamrock and Leake Streets, Essendon, VIC, 3040 

Height: Average at 9 metres 

Diameter: Average at 1 metre 

Welcome to the first edition of the Tree of the Month series! 

Each month we will shine a light on one of Moonee Valley’s most remarkable trees.  

For our very first feature, we are going big… instead of one tree, we are spotlighting 143! 

Running along the Mount Alexander Road median strip, between Shamrock and Leake Street, sits the row of Canary Island Date Palms (Phoenix canariensis), one of Moonee Valley’s most gorgeous landmarks.  

The grand avenue is more than just beautiful, it is the longest single planting of Canary Island Date Palms in Victoria, making it a rare and significant part of Moonee Valley. Nowhere else in Victoria would you see a configuration and species occur in this way. 

Planted around 1929, following the relocation and duplication of the electric tram tracks, the palms reflect the trends of the 1920s in Australia. Thought to have been introduced into Australia between 1870-1880, these palms were popular not just for their luxurious and exotic look, but for their magnificent height and tolerance to Victoria’s harsh climate – the ultimate low-maintenance tree!  

The National Trust of Australia considers the palms “Signature Trees” in recognition of their iconic configuration that defines the space and lets you know where you are. In other words, if you were blindfolded and led to this site, you could only be in Mount Alexander Road in Essendon.  

Nearly 100 years since their planting, the palms continue to frame the major road from the airports to central Melbourne. Their scale would be almost impossible to replicate in today’s environment, making Moonee Valley especially fortunate to have them.  

Stay tuned for next month’s Tree of the Month, where we explore another unusual and unique planting in our municipality!