A traditional local Aboriginal scarred tree weighing more than 1.5 tonnes has been relocated from Tharwa to the Tidbinbilla Visitors Centre to be part of an interpretative display.
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ACT Heritage Aboriginal liaison officer Euroka Gilbert said the dead eucalypt was significant to the Ngunnawal community because it had a scar where wood had once been removed by their ancestors, most likely for the construction of a canoe.
Mr Gilbert said the tree had been felled for some time and was in poor condition and there was a risk it could be cut up for firewood.
Aboriginal groups had been trying for at least 14 years for the tree to be preserved, he said, adding it was unknown when the wood was removed. Aboriginal people in the past deliberately removed bark or wood from trees for numerous reasons such as constructing shelters, canoes or containers.
The ACT Government allocated $76,000 in the 2015-16 budget for the conservation of the tree.
Planning Minister Mick Gentleman at the time said it was "a piece of our local history that is of considerable significance to the Aboriginal community''.
Mr Gilbert said the 1750 kilogram tree was moved via truck from a garden bed at Outward Bound at Tharwa to the Tidbinbilla Visitors Centre on Thursday morning.
It would eventually be hoisted on to a steel frame for display and preserved with a timber protectant and methylated spirits to kill any mould.
The tree would be accompanied by a bush tucker garden at the visitors centre. An opening date to the public was yet to be determined.
