shelter...

...in a giant and ancient  River Redgum .

This particular tree provided shelter to generations of the Paramangk Aboriginal people of the area. A winter camp fire was built on the sheltered side of the tree and over time created a hollow which became a shelter, or wurlie. Extra 'rooms' were added using tree boughs and barks.

In 1855, Lutheran Johann Friedrich Herbig sailed from Germany and arrived in the South Australian colony (SA was a 'free' colony and not initially settled by convicts). He travelled to Blumberg (now Birdwood) in the Murray Ranges north of Adelaide and worked for philanthropist and  land owner George Fife Angas from whom he leased and eventually purchased 32 hectares of land.
To cut a long story short, he  married Anna Caroline Rattey and they set up their first home together in this shelter tree where Friedrich had lived as a bachelor farmer.
Their first son, Johann August was born there and when number two son Johann Wilhelm  (she bore 16 children in total!) was born, a two roomed pine and pug hut was built followed by a larger stone hut.
The shelter tree remained a shelter and outstation camp on the property in which Friedrich or Carline camped at night to keep cattle from straying into their crop.

Now that is a tree house!!