What are paperbark trees in Australia?

Paperbark trees are melaleucas. The melaleuca genus covers 300 species of plants and trees, which can be found all over Australia. Aboriginal people have traditionally had several uses for the paperbarks.

Australian trees tend to be a bit different to those found elsewhere. The best known Aussie trees are eucalypts. But spend a bit of time in the country, and you’re likely to encounter paperbarks.

Paperbark trees are distinctive due to their bark. It’s fairly easy to peel off, and can be used to draw, write or paint on.

Paperbark trees live over Australia. You can cruise through paperbarks on Yellow Water in the Northern Territory’s World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. You can encounter paperbarks on a bush food tour of Fraser Island. And you can learn about traditional Aboriginal uses for paperbark trees on a Royal Botanic Gardens tour in Melbourne.

Paperbark trees in Australia: Species of melaleuca

But what are paperbark trees? Well, they’re melaleucas. Or, at least, most melaleucas. The melaleuca is a genus of plant that’s part of the myrtle family. There are around 300 species of melaleuca, most of which are trees and endemic to Australia.

Different species of melaleuca grow in different parts of Australia, too. The widespread Melaleuca quinquenervia grows along much of the east coast, for example. It’s small-to-medium sized, and often called the broad-leaved paperbark.

Another common species is the Melaleuca acacioides. This is found in the Top End of the Northern Territory and the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland. It likes saline soils, and often grows near mangroves.

Paperbark trees in Western Australia

The most diverse region of Australia for paperbarks, however, is south-west Western Australia. In this corner of the country, several melaleuca species mingle.

One reason that paperbark trees are so important in Australia is that Aboriginal people have traditionally used them for several purposes. The bark can be used to make rafts, bandages and roofs, while it can also double as a plate when serving meals.

More Australian trees

The ghostly river red gums of Lake Mulwala, Victoria.

The legend of the Ned Kelly Tree at Stringybark Creek in Victoria.

Why eucalypt trees mean bushfires in the Blue Mountains.

The gigantic Cathedral Fig in Danbulla National Park, Queensland.

The enormous boab tree of Kings Park, Perth.