The death knell has finally sounded for the historic Camphor Laurel tree at Lavender’s Riverside Cafe leaving a huge void on the city’s river bank landscape.
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The final branch fell on Tuesday setting the scene for a not so shady or leafy cafe environment.
The landmark tree was marked for destruction after its huge scale reportedly caused significant maintenance issues due to leaf litter and associated water damage.
Maitland council approved the tree’s removal after an assessment by tree service company Assurance Trees. A council spokesperson said the tree was likely to have caused structural damage to an adjacent building.
Lavenders Riverside Cafe owner Stephanie Purdon lost her appeal to save the tree late last week. About 30 people gathered at the cafe on Sunday to bid it farewell. Mrs Purdon said she was unable to afford the installation of expensive shade structures, which came with a price tag of about $35,000.
The cafe has been closed since Monday and will re-open at 7am Thursday.
