Geelong ginkgo named Victoria's tree of the year for 2026

A ginkgo tree growing in the botanic gardens of Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria, was announced on Tuesday as the state's tree of the year for 2026. The National Trust of Australia (Victoria), which runs the awards, made the announcement. The tree stands about 20 metres tall and is the largest ginkgo biloba in the state, and possibly in Australia.

It won 27% of 4,435 public votes, ahead of eight other finalists. Second place went to a smooth bark apple myrtle in Prahran, and third to a myrtle beech in Apollo Bay.

A tree with a history

The ginkgo was planted in 1859, about two decades after Geelong was formally established. Its seeds came from China, and one rumour says a ship's captain who stopped at Geelong's port delivered them. The trunk and branches have unusual stalactite-like growths, which appear only on much older female ginkgos. Its fruit has a reputation for being smelly.

Botanic gardens supervisor Sheree Parker said it was one of the first trees planted in the park and the one most visited and talked about. Many weddings are held beneath it. City staff had encouraged people on social media to vote for it.

About the contest

To be eligible, trees must be on the National Trust's significant tree register, which lists 2,500 trees in Victoria for their cultural, scientific or historic value. More than 40 were nominated this year, and a panel of 12 experts and arboriculturists chose nine. The contest began in 2016.

Justin Buckley, the National Trust Victoria's executive manager of gardens and landscapes, urged the state government to give automatic statutory protection to registered trees and to adopt a "retain first" planning principle. He said the uniform canopy tree protection introduced in the past year remains "quite limited". A report from Stonnington city council found that more than 17.9 hectares of tree canopy was lost on private land in that inner Melbourne suburb alone over a decade.