Our Timbers

Genera lagarostrobus

Huon pine can only be found the wild forests of western Tasmania, growing in lush, wet rainforests along with myrtle, blackwood and other species. It is highly sought after by woodworkers for furniture, craft wood and turning blanks.

Huon pine has a rich golden texture, and an exquisite smell and touch. A unique quality of Huon pine is the unusual figuring that sometimes occurs, giving the impression of birds' eyes on the surface of the wood. When this occurs, which is rare, it is called birds eye Huon pine, making it extremely valuable.

Huon pine contains a natural oil that makes up 7% of the tree's volume and gives the wood a unique fragrance which is never lost. A box made from this wood will always retain the fragrance of the oil when the lid is opened.

Additionally, this natural oil makes the wood resistant to water penetration and rot, making Huon pine an ideal timber for boat building, making Tasmania famous for boat building since the days of the early convicts.

Because of this unique quality it was felled indiscriminately and is now an extremely rare and protected species which can be sourced only from dead fallen trees by specially licensed wood collectors.

Huon pine can vary in age from hundreds to thousands of years, and some existing trees may be 5,000 years old.

Tasmanian Myrtle

Myrtle belongs to the same family as the beech tree of Europe and is sometimes called Myrtle Beech or Australian Cherry. It grows in the wet forests across Tasmania requiring moist and sheltered conditions.

Myrtle is highly valued for its rich colours of red, brown, orange and pink. These exquisite colours are generated by the interaction of the highly fertile soil with the basalt rock beneath.

Tasmanian Myrtle is loved by woodworkers for furniture, craft and turning blanks.

Macrocarpa Pine

Wattle trees are found all over Australia. There are over 600 species in Australia. Native Tasmanian Wattle has a colour range in its timber from light brown to Dark red brown is has a very open grain good furniture and craft wood.

Notelagea Ligustrina

Native Olive is found in a very small area of Tasmanian and is extremely rare – in fact it is harder to find than Huon Pine.

Native Olive is a very dense timber varying in colour from light brown heartwood to cream sapwood.

A great timber for Furniture building, craftwork and turning.

Blackheart Sassafras

Atherosperma moschatum

Blackheart Sassafras is Native to Tasmanian and is found many in wet forests next to rivers and streams. It colours range from white to black. The colour is a water stain that forms when the top or branch is broken off. It is getting harder to source. The timber is highly sought after by woodworkers for furniture, craft wood and turning blanks.

Tasmanian Blackwood

Acacia Melanoxylon

Blackwood is a medium size tree native to Tasmania and south eastern Australia. It grows all over Tasmania, in rainforests to a height of approximately 35 meters.

The heartwood varies from a lustrous golden brown to reddish dark brown with curly to interlocked grain.

Tasmanian Blackwood is highly sought after by woodworkers for furniture, craft and musical instruments.

Tasmanian Oak

Eucalyptus regnans, Eucalyptus obliqua or Eucalyptus delegatensis

Tasmanian Oak is sourced from three varieties of Tasmanian Eucalyptus. The trees grow to a height of 300 feet with a diameter of up to 8 feet. Because they generally grow so close together, they will grow to 80% of their height before sending out branches. Its heartwood is pale to light brown with pinkish tints. This wood is often used for flooring, fine furniture building, framing for houses and craft wood.

Celery Top Pine

Phyllocladus asperiifoli

Celery Top Pine is slow growing and is only found in Tasmanian on the high rainfall areas of Western Tasmania, where it is becoming increasingly scarce.

One of Australia's heaviest softwoods, its timber colour varies from light straw to light brown with conspicuous and close growth rings.

Being durable and resistant to chemical action it is ideal for kitchen utensils, vats, boat building, furniture and craft wood.

Olearia Argophylla

Musk grows as an understory species in the wet forests of Tasmania.

While most of the tree is straight grained, the most prized and figured wood is at the base of the tree. This timber has a light velvety texture with dark brown swirls.

This wood is highly sought after by woodworkers, and turning blanks is getting more and more difficult to source.