There aren't too many Australians who can claim they have lived through the times of Caesar and witnessed the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. 'King Billy' is the only one that springs to mind. Unfortunately, it's a case of "if these roots could talk" because King Billy is a tree.

King Billy is no ordinary tree though; he is a rare species that was recently discovered in the Blue Mountains, called Wollemia nobilis, or Wollemi Pine. This fascinating, forgotten flora dates back to the Jurassic Era and was long ago assumed extinct, until 1994. A bushwalker abseiled down a cliff and made one of the most amazing finds of the century.

The Wollemi Pine is from the Araucariaceae family and is a close relative to other Australian favourites like the Norfolk Island, Hoop and Monkey Puzzle pines.

Resembling a conifer with dark green foliage and bubbly bark, the Wollemi Pine sprouts multiple trunks and grows quickly in light.

If the idea of a Jurassic tree sounds like your ticket to impressing your neighbours and sparking up conversation at your next garden soiree (for example: "Julie, did you know that my pine over there is almost as old as you? At least 90 million years!" Zing!) then your wait is almost over. After a decade of exclusive research and controlled propagation the Wollemi Pine is finally being publicly released.

The first group is going to auction on 23 October at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney but prices are expected to represent the trees exclusivity. So to satisfy your urge for some prehistoric tree-hugging you can view the pine at Royal Botanic Gardens or Taronga Park Zoo. A wider release of the pine is expected by 2006. Reports so far have neither confirmed nor denied whether scientific research has begun to use the tree to recreate dinosaurs from their DNA and run a themed park.