For more than 130 years, a 16-metre-tall Algerian oak has stood in the small town of Kingston, between Daylesford and Ballarat.

Its 31-metre canopy is a defining feature of the landscape, but it might be on borrowed time.

The tree stands in the proposed path of AusNet's Western Renewables Link, an overhead transmission project that aims to connect renewable energy developments in western Victoria to the grid and provide a direct link between Victoria and New South Wales.

Kingston resident Jeremy Harper is leading the fight to save the Algerian oak from the axe.

He has hosted rallies, launched a petition, and most recently, nominated the oak for the National Trust's Tree of the Year competition.

It is all part of his plan to make the tree untouchable.

"It's just a magnificent tree,"

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