Naracoorte Primary School teacher Helen McRostie and mayor Erika Vickery watch as Major Sumner decides where he will cut the bark from.
PLANS to create an Aboriginal bark canoe at Naracoorte North Parklands didn't go quite as planned on May 17.
The bark broke into pieces while coming off the tree.
Now the bark is being dried at Aboriginal Communities Landcare coordinator David New's home in Kalangadoo for three months.
"It didn't come off the tree too well," Mr New said. "It broke when it came off, so there's no canoe - it's in pieces."
The bark canoe was being created by elder Major Sumner with support from Naracoorte Primary School, Naracoorte Lucindale Council, Naracoorte Nature Park Development Board and the SE Natural Resource Management Board.
Despite the setback, the project will continue and will combine education, conservation and Aboriginal culture in coming months.
Indigenous plants, reeds and rushes will be planted and students will learn about Aboriginal culture and plants; and the public will be able to visit the site.
NPS teachers initiated the project and originally used the parklands as an educational tool.
The bark will still be used for the project but it's undecided what will be created from it.
Mr New said "something contemporary" would be good but he needed to discuss the plans with the council and Mr Sumner.
He said every tree was different and it was hard to tell what bark would come off a tree well.
"Unfortunately you can't tell one tree from another," he said.
The right side of the bark was "very dry" and the left side was "quite moist".
"But the scars are nice and clean and it will heal up well."
Mr New said students still gained a positive experience.
"The garden is still going to go ahead...from now on, it will be progressing," he said.
The project to remove the bark started at 10.30am on May 17 and went right through until 7.30pm.
Work resumed early on May 18 before finishing at 2.30pm.
Mr New said the project would benefit the younger generation.
The goal is to bring "change and acceptance" to the next generation and provide them with positive indigenous experiences.
Hundreds of students from local schools visited the nature park on Thursday.