PORT Fairy’s State Emergency Service is urging locals and visitors to be watchful over the weekend after a Norfolk Island pine tree branch damaged a car on Wednesday.
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Moyne Shire is preparing a report on the state of the town’s iconic trees as the SES warns an extended dry period could create hazards.
Port Fairy SES unit controller Stephen McDowell said crews were called to the car on Campbell Street at 4.45pm Wednesday after a large branch fell and smashed the rear window of the sedan.
“Due to the prolonged dry spell the trees might be a little stressed,” Mr McDowell said.
“The tree itself was structurally fine.”
He said locals and folk festival visitors needed to be mindful. “It’s something to keep an eye out for.”
A Moyne Shire spokesman said an arborist inspected the tree yesterday, giving it the all-clear.
A report into the health of the town’s trees is being prepared by Moyne Shire
“It has looked at all the trees in Port Fairy and their health and whether they’re likely to cause damage,” the spokesman said.
He said the owner of the damaged car had not approached the council for compensation.
Port Fairy historian Marten Syme said some of the pines were more than a century old along Gipps Street.
