While we may expect a rabbit hole, a wombat hole, or the occasional cheeky neighbourhood dog-digging hole, the recent appearance of more daunting holes in various Aussie suburbs has raised quite a few eyebrows, and not in a good way.

‘Spotted these two on a walk yesterday', a resident from Canberra explained in a recent Reddit post.

Sharing his unease on the online platform, the Canberra local voiced his concern about two large, ominous holes that suddenly showed up in the green strip on his suburban street.

Pictures shared by this perplexed resident indicated that trees, which once bloomed on council-owned land, had vanished mysteriously, leaving behind these gaping spaces.

Plants are being stolen, and holes are being left behind in Canberra. Image source: Reddit/Andrewcoo.

'People have removed trees planted on the reserve in front of their houses,' the resident pointed out on Reddit. He also made note of a significant increase in tree plantings around Canberra in recent months.

Instantaneously, theories ran wild. Most Reddit users hang their suspicions on thieves, who they say steal new plants often.

'More likely not the owners, rather people stealing the plants. It’s quite common for new plants to get stolen, unfortunately', shared one user.

Plant theft seems like an unusual crime, but it runs deeper than meets the eye, affecting newer suburbs on a regular basis. 'Theft of plants/landscaping materials occurs in new suburbs on a regular basis,' another user concurred.

Still, others shared their experiences about identical occurrences. 'This happened to us. We were away for a few days and were told by our friend who was house-sitting, that the new tree in our front lawn was gone overnight, the stakes were sawn off close to the ground.'

Now that’s not a comforting thought to come back home to! Interestingly enough, they went on to explain, 'We suspect it was a neighbour who knew how expensive the tree was and figured out that the person living in our house was not us so they could get away with it.’

In addition to plant theft, vandalism is another issue plaguing local areas. Residents have reported new trees and plants in their area getting intentionally damaged, even snapped in half.

'Vandal kids would just snap them in half, or pull them out and leave them,' another fumed.

There were more spine-tingling stories shared, like one user revealing an odd tale about an acquaintance.

‘I know a person who a few years back went to a new estate and rolled up an entire canturf lawn and took it back to their place and turfed the entire backyard,’ the user explained.

The original poster on Reddit was taken aback by the intense reactions, and he couldn't see the logic behind it.

'If I was inclined to do that, I would go for one in a more open reserve, not directly in front of someone’s house.'

Key Takeaways

• A Canberra resident has voiced their concern over large holes appearing where trees had previously been planted on a suburban street.
• Many people suggested that the trees were stolen, a common occurrence for newly planted ones.
• Residents shared their own experiences of similar instances, from witnessing vandalism of new trees to theft of landscaping materials.
• It was also noted that certain residents might remove trees planted by the council due to concerns regarding their placement or variety, or, in some cases, to make space for parking.

However, buried in the comments was a perspective that put things into a different light—trees planted by the council are not always welcome by residents.

Relaying a personal anecdote, one user explained, 'My parents had to redo a lot of pipes and a driveway due to a gum tree that was planted by the government with no prior consultation. The costs and subsequent arguments to remove the tree and cover the damage escalated into a full-blown war.'

We guess what initially seemed like a thrilling neighbourhood mystery does lead to some serious consideration about spatial planning, community consultation, and security upgrades. Bottom line? If you're in the Aussie suburbs, keep an eye out for mysterious holes and missing trees, as your street might be next.

What do you think of this story, members? Do you think it’s ever okay to remove newly planted trees by your local council? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one in the comment section below.

 

[Suzanne rose]

No it's not ok to remove trees . We had a problem with bottlebrush trees with the roots finding their way into the sewer abd blocking it . When the council planted those in the 80s no one knee they would do this. Council ended up removing them and replacing with other trees.

Our next door neighbour had a beautiful big tree on his nature strip , he moved in maybe 5 years ago.
Now this tree causes no problems and one Saturday morning He hired two tree loppers and they started hacking away at the tree cutting branches and hacking them.
Hubby went out and asked the neighbour did you get permission, he said no he didn't need to and the tree hackers said the same.
We knew differently because our other neighbour cut down his palms and he said it's the only tree you can cut without permission and that you can't even cut branches unless they are hanging down.

Now I wanted to call the council but I didn't but surprise a ranger turned up 1 hour later , by this time the tree looked awful now not only did the neighbour cop a huge fine so did the so called tree loppers, apparently they were not a registered business, they tried to say they were friends of the neighbours.

 

[Col@45]

While we may expect a rabbit hole, a wombat hole, or the occasional cheeky neighbourhood dog-digging hole, the recent appearance of more daunting holes in various Aussie suburbs has raised quite a few eyebrows, and not in a good way.

‘Spotted these two on a walk yesterday', a resident from Canberra explained in a recent Reddit post.

Sharing his unease on the online platform, the Canberra local voiced his concern about two large, ominous holes that suddenly showed up in the green strip on his suburban street.

Pictures shared by this perplexed resident indicated that trees, which once bloomed on council-owned land, had vanished mysteriously, leaving behind these gaping spaces.

View attachment 25976

Plants are being stolen, and holes are being left behind in Canberra. Image source: Reddit/Andrewcoo.

'People have removed trees planted on the reserve in front of their houses,' the resident pointed out on Reddit. He also made note of a significant increase in tree plantings around Canberra in recent months.

Instantaneously, theories ran wild. Most Reddit users hang their suspicions on thieves, who they say steal new plants often.

'More likely not the owners, rather people stealing the plants. It’s quite common for new plants to get stolen, unfortunately', shared one user.

Plant theft seems like an unusual crime, but it runs deeper than meets the eye, affecting newer suburbs on a regular basis. 'Theft of plants/landscaping materials occurs in new suburbs on a regular basis,' another user concurred.

Still, others shared their experiences about identical occurrences. 'This happened to us. We were away for a few days and were told by our friend who was house-sitting, that the new tree in our front lawn was gone overnight, the stakes were sawn off close to the ground.'

Now that’s not a comforting thought to come back home to! Interestingly enough, they went on to explain, 'We suspect it was a neighbour who knew how expensive the tree was and figured out that the person living in our house was not us so they could get away with it.’

In addition to plant theft, vandalism is another issue plaguing local areas. Residents have reported new trees and plants in their area getting intentionally damaged, even snapped in half.

'Vandal kids would just snap them in half, or pull them out and leave them,' another fumed.

There were more spine-tingling stories shared, like one user revealing an odd tale about an acquaintance.

‘I know a person who a few years back went to a new estate and rolled up an entire canturf lawn and took it back to their place and turfed the entire backyard,’ the user explained.

The original poster on Reddit was taken aback by the intense reactions, and he couldn't see the logic behind it.

'If I was inclined to do that, I would go for one in a more open reserve, not directly in front of someone’s house.'

Key Takeaways

• A Canberra resident has voiced their concern over large holes appearing where trees had previously been planted on a suburban street.
• Many people suggested that the trees were stolen, a common occurrence for newly planted ones.
• Residents shared their own experiences of similar instances, from witnessing vandalism of new trees to theft of landscaping materials.
• It was also noted that certain residents might remove trees planted by the council due to concerns regarding their placement or variety, or, in some cases, to make space for parking.

However, buried in the comments was a perspective that put things into a different light—trees planted by the council are not always welcome by residents.

Relaying a personal anecdote, one user explained, 'My parents had to redo a lot of pipes and a driveway due to a gum tree that was planted by the government with no prior consultation. The costs and subsequent arguments to remove the tree and cover the damage escalated into a full-blown war.'

We guess what initially seemed like a thrilling neighbourhood mystery does lead to some serious consideration about spatial planning, community consultation, and security upgrades. Bottom line? If you're in the Aussie suburbs, keep an eye out for mysterious holes and missing trees, as your street might be next.

What do you think of this story, members? Do you think it’s ever okay to remove newly planted trees by your local council? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one in the comment section below.

Can't stop the thieves....some people will pinch the eye out of a needle!

 

[Leenie]

U are so right

 

[Tipsy]

While we may expect a rabbit hole, a wombat hole, or the occasional cheeky neighbourhood dog-digging hole, the recent appearance of more daunting holes in various Aussie suburbs has raised quite a few eyebrows, and not in a good way.

‘Spotted these two on a walk yesterday', a resident from Canberra explained in a recent Reddit post.

Sharing his unease on the online platform, the Canberra local voiced his concern about two large, ominous holes that suddenly showed up in the green strip on his suburban street.

Pictures shared by this perplexed resident indicated that trees, which once bloomed on council-owned land, had vanished mysteriously, leaving behind these gaping spaces.

View attachment 25976

Plants are being stolen, and holes are being left behind in Canberra. Image source: Reddit/Andrewcoo.

'People have removed trees planted on the reserve in front of their houses,' the resident pointed out on Reddit. He also made note of a significant increase in tree plantings around Canberra in recent months.

Instantaneously, theories ran wild. Most Reddit users hang their suspicions on thieves, who they say steal new plants often.

'More likely not the owners, rather people stealing the plants. It’s quite common for new plants to get stolen, unfortunately', shared one user.

Plant theft seems like an unusual crime, but it runs deeper than meets the eye, affecting newer suburbs on a regular basis. 'Theft of plants/landscaping materials occurs in new suburbs on a regular basis,' another user concurred.

Still, others shared their experiences about identical occurrences. 'This happened to us. We were away for a few days and were told by our friend who was house-sitting, that the new tree in our front lawn was gone overnight, the stakes were sawn off close to the ground.'

Now that’s not a comforting thought to come back home to! Interestingly enough, they went on to explain, 'We suspect it was a neighbour who knew how expensive the tree was and figured out that the person living in our house was not us so they could get away with it.’

In addition to plant theft, vandalism is another issue plaguing local areas. Residents have reported new trees and plants in their area getting intentionally damaged, even snapped in half.

'Vandal kids would just snap them in half, or pull them out and leave them,' another fumed.

There were more spine-tingling stories shared, like one user revealing an odd tale about an acquaintance.

‘I know a person who a few years back went to a new estate and rolled up an entire canturf lawn and took it back to their place and turfed the entire backyard,’ the user explained.

The original poster on Reddit was taken aback by the intense reactions, and he couldn't see the logic behind it.

'If I was inclined to do that, I would go for one in a more open reserve, not directly in front of someone’s house.'

Key Takeaways

• A Canberra resident has voiced their concern over large holes appearing where trees had previously been planted on a suburban street.
• Many people suggested that the trees were stolen, a common occurrence for newly planted ones.
• Residents shared their own experiences of similar instances, from witnessing vandalism of new trees to theft of landscaping materials.
• It was also noted that certain residents might remove trees planted by the council due to concerns regarding their placement or variety, or, in some cases, to make space for parking.

However, buried in the comments was a perspective that put things into a different light—trees planted by the council are not always welcome by residents.

Relaying a personal anecdote, one user explained, 'My parents had to redo a lot of pipes and a driveway due to a gum tree that was planted by the government with no prior consultation. The costs and subsequent arguments to remove the tree and cover the damage escalated into a full-blown war.'

We guess what initially seemed like a thrilling neighbourhood mystery does lead to some serious consideration about spatial planning, community consultation, and security upgrades. Bottom line? If you're in the Aussie suburbs, keep an eye out for mysterious holes and missing trees, as your street might be next.

What do you think of this story, members? Do you think it’s ever okay to remove newly planted trees by your local council? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one in the comment section below.

people in councils dont have the intelligence when it comes to planting trees in the streets or even what trees to actually plant.... Three grows becomes to high and into the power lines/ falls over in a storm bringing down the power line .... why not fruit trees with arborists to look after ALL of the plantings... But Alas, making a name for ones self and the money for jam

 

[Pat T]

We moved into an easement. The council had planted trees that scratched our caravan every time we took it out. Out came the chainsaw! We replaced them with a miniature version of the same variety.

 

[Starry]

While we may expect a rabbit hole, a wombat hole, or the occasional cheeky neighbourhood dog-digging hole, the recent appearance of more daunting holes in various Aussie suburbs has raised quite a few eyebrows, and not in a good way.

‘Spotted these two on a walk yesterday', a resident from Canberra explained in a recent Reddit post.

Sharing his unease on the online platform, the Canberra local voiced his concern about two large, ominous holes that suddenly showed up in the green strip on his suburban street.

Pictures shared by this perplexed resident indicated that trees, which once bloomed on council-owned land, had vanished mysteriously, leaving behind these gaping spaces.

View attachment 25976

Plants are being stolen, and holes are being left behind in Canberra. Image source: Reddit/Andrewcoo.

'People have removed trees planted on the reserve in front of their houses,' the resident pointed out on Reddit. He also made note of a significant increase in tree plantings around Canberra in recent months.

Instantaneously, theories ran wild. Most Reddit users hang their suspicions on thieves, who they say steal new plants often.

'More likely not the owners, rather people stealing the plants. It’s quite common for new plants to get stolen, unfortunately', shared one user.

Plant theft seems like an unusual crime, but it runs deeper than meets the eye, affecting newer suburbs on a regular basis. 'Theft of plants/landscaping materials occurs in new suburbs on a regular basis,' another user concurred.

Still, others shared their experiences about identical occurrences. 'This happened to us. We were away for a few days and were told by our friend who was house-sitting, that the new tree in our front lawn was gone overnight, the stakes were sawn off close to the ground.'

Now that’s not a comforting thought to come back home to! Interestingly enough, they went on to explain, 'We suspect it was a neighbour who knew how expensive the tree was and figured out that the person living in our house was not us so they could get away with it.’

In addition to plant theft, vandalism is another issue plaguing local areas. Residents have reported new trees and plants in their area getting intentionally damaged, even snapped in half.

'Vandal kids would just snap them in half, or pull them out and leave them,' another fumed.

There were more spine-tingling stories shared, like one user revealing an odd tale about an acquaintance.

‘I know a person who a few years back went to a new estate and rolled up an entire canturf lawn and took it back to their place and turfed the entire backyard,’ the user explained.

The original poster on Reddit was taken aback by the intense reactions, and he couldn't see the logic behind it.

'If I was inclined to do that, I would go for one in a more open reserve, not directly in front of someone’s house.'

Key Takeaways

• A Canberra resident has voiced their concern over large holes appearing where trees had previously been planted on a suburban street.
• Many people suggested that the trees were stolen, a common occurrence for newly planted ones.
• Residents shared their own experiences of similar instances, from witnessing vandalism of new trees to theft of landscaping materials.
• It was also noted that certain residents might remove trees planted by the council due to concerns regarding their placement or variety, or, in some cases, to make space for parking.

However, buried in the comments was a perspective that put things into a different light—trees planted by the council are not always welcome by residents.

Relaying a personal anecdote, one user explained, 'My parents had to redo a lot of pipes and a driveway due to a gum tree that was planted by the government with no prior consultation. The costs and subsequent arguments to remove the tree and cover the damage escalated into a full-blown war.'

We guess what initially seemed like a thrilling neighbourhood mystery does lead to some serious consideration about spatial planning, community consultation, and security upgrades. Bottom line? If you're in the Aussie suburbs, keep an eye out for mysterious holes and missing trees, as your street might be next.

What do you think of this story, members? Do you think it’s ever okay to remove newly planted trees by your local council? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this one in the comment section below.

Over a period of 6 months we had 4 (that is four) Flowering gums taken or destroyed from our front garden. Branches ripped off, (3) times and then removal of whole tree at night. We had replaced the Council tree when it got borers at our own expense, and we loved the gums when they first flowered. If the night time creepers want the tree, go to a Flower Power or similar and buy. If you cannot afford to buy, plant a seed and wait.

 

[donandviv77]

No it's not ok to remove trees . We had a problem with bottlebrush trees with the roots finding their way into the sewer abd blocking it . When the council planted those in the 80s no one knee they would do this. Council ended up removing them and replacing with other trees.

Our next door neighbour had a beautiful big tree on his nature strip , he moved in maybe 5 years ago.
Now this tree causes no problems and one Saturday morning He hired two tree loppers and they started hacking away at the tree cutting branches and hacking them.
Hubby went out and asked the neighbour did you get permission, he said no he didn't need to and the tree hackers said the same.
We knew differently because our other neighbour cut down his palms and he said it's the only tree you can cut without permission and that you can't even cut branches unless they are hanging down.

Now I wanted to call the council but I didn't but surprise a ranger turned up 1 hour later , by this time the tree looked awful now not only did the neighbour cop a huge fine so did the so called tree loppers, apparently they were not a registered business, they tried to say they were friends of the neighbours.

At least something is being done about these holes, in Manly at the corner of Victoria Parade and Daly Road a very large section of the footpath is disappearing into a hole which was previously reported to Council as a major Safety hazard but no action initially implemented by Council until further reports were made to Council.

 

[Keswickian]

Newly planted trees and plants are an easy target for thieves. Theft is very common.

 

[Jennylolo]

huge planting on major road in my area of magnolias. Not sure why they chose that though for so close to road as the fall from these are very messy when they drop their leaves after flowering. And out of about 40 around maybe 10 were left- rest were taken over 2-3 weeks. They did replant and a handful disappeared. Mind they are planting at a regular spacing and not in relationship to what other roadside and reserve trees are near it and they can't compete against mature roots and being fully in shade and simply die.

Then I get home one day to find a tree planted on the verge slap bang in the middle of mt frontage. Not to one side of my frontage but right in the middle. Really? Had I wanted a tree slap back in the middle, blocking my view, I wouldn't have bought a place free of trees across the main frontage. Totally blocks what little sun comes in from the south as well making it dark as my house is lower than the road = no light getting in. And they are deciduous making a mess. Where is the consultation? I"d have been happy if they had put it to one side.

 

[SGH]

I went and bought some "Cousin Its" for my front yard they didn't even last a week. So it is not only trees and bushes on the council strips.

 

[siegi]

To those thieves out there, put the shoe on the other foot, how would you feel if someone stole from you?