Hello again,
I'm back and have taken some pictures. I'll try to answer Ekka's questions first. We live in Graceville, on Oxley Road. The soil is mostly clay, and very dry now. We have a large tank, which is almost empty now, and the tree that dropped its crown was in the least watered part of the garden.
The fronds on the dropped crown were mostly dead, with only one green one standing up in the middle. The head has a slighty sweet smell, a bit like sugar cane. There are a few blotches on the outside of the head which look fungal.
I am attaching three pictures of the sick (dead?) tree.
I will post another message soon with more pictures from around our garden.
Thanks,
Alan
