Moreton Fig Trees.

Its common name is derived from Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia.  Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) is relatively compact. It has glossy lustrous leaves and develops massive buttresses to support it in shallow, often waterlogged, soils. With time it develops a characteristic broad rounded canopy.

Figs trees range in size from tiny up to some of the largest and most exotic-looking tropical varieties imaginable. More than 800 species have been noted over the last 4,000 or more years in the warmer parts of the world, including Australia. 35 figs are native to Australia. For at least as long as people around the Mediterranean have been growing fig trees for rubber, fruit, shelter and shade, indigenous Australians have also been making use of the fig's plentiful fruit and shelter.  (ABC Materials, including pages and on-line images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia. All rights are reserved.

Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the Moraceae family that is a native of most of the eastern coast of Australia, from the Atherton Tableland (17° S) in the north to the Illawarra (34° S) in New South Wales, and Lord Howe Island. Its common name is derived from Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia. It is best known for its beautiful buttress roots, which are also known for damaging municipal footpaths.  The Moreton Bay Fig is an evergreen tree that can reach heights of 60 m (200 ft). The trunk can be massive, with thick, prominent buttressing, and reach a diameter of 2.4 m (8 ft). The rough bark is grey-brown, and marked with various blemishes.

Huge, they expand horizontally and stay low to the ground. Their branches look as they have fought hundreds battles as they try to reach out in all directions. Their roots look like snakes or fingers. It seems that they could move any moment, slowly, toward you.