History of the Doncaster East Avenue of Honour
The Doncaster East Avenue of Honour was first planted in around 1920 by the pupils of East Doncaster State School.
It was planted to honour the past pupils, relatives and friends who served in the Great War of 1914-18.
The original Avenue of Honour for Doncaster East was a row of Mahogany Gums planted along Blackburn Road. It began near May Street and continued past the school to Saxonwood Drive.
By the 1970s an extra lane was needed along Blackburn Road due to increased traffic, and the Mahogany Gums were removed. To replace these trees, a new Avenue of Honour was planted along Saxonwood Drive in 1975 using Queensland Brush Box.
Commemorating fallen soldiers after the war
After The Great War ended, war memorials and honour boards were created throughout Victoria. The honour board for this Avenue of Honour is located within the RSL Doncaster Sub-Branch.
Planting Avenues of Honour captured the imaginations of Victorians.
- These avenues existed almost nowhere else in the world apart from Australia
- Over half of the 547 known avenues are located in Victoria
Planting trees gave grieving families and communities tangible memorials to loved ones. With their actual graves out of reach on the other side of the world, each tree represented a fallen soldier.
You can contemplate their sacrifice as you walk along Saxonwood Drive, where their names are laid out next to the path.