Manly and the beaches to its north are famous for their Norfolk Island Pines. The first pines were planted in Manly circa 1850 and may have given their name to Pine Street. Early photographs show a small group of the trees at the intersection of what is now Pine Street with the ocean beachfront, near the current location of North Steyne Surf Club.
However, the main planting commenced in 1877, as one of the first actions of the new Manly Council and with input from Charles Moore, the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens.
For almost 100 years the pines thrived. However, in the 1960s their health began to deteriorate and by the 70s many of those on the ocean front were dying.
The problem was eventually traced to detergent in the sea spray interfering with the trees’ resin-based defence system against salt. The source was the sewerage discharge into the ocean at nearby North Head. With the relocation of the outfall to deeper water further out from the coast, the pines were saved.
However, given the number that had been lost or stunted, Manly Council instigated a replanting programme. As part of it they propagated 1,000 seedlings. Unfortunately, apparently unwittingly, the seedlings were Cook Pines, not Norfolk Island.
The mistake was not picked up for some 30 years or so when the reality became obvious. As they grew the new pines became curved and crooked, producing much thicker, more dense foliage and often bifurcating into two trunks.
The problem was not confined to Manly. The seedlings were apparently also used by Warringah Council and Cook Pines can be found from Manly to Palm Beach. Once alerted, you unfortunately see them everywhere.
Richard Michell