The Tasmanian Collection - Order ref #tasco
Tasmania is rightly renowned for a variety of unusual timbers, many of which only grow in the island state (endemic species). Many families of tree and shrub which grow on the mainland of Australia also grow in Tasmania or have sub-species and relatives here in Australia's island state. This collection of ten different bobbins as shown is selected from the beautiful range of Tasmanian timbers.They are supplied with a descriptive leaflet which has some information about each of the woods. This set makes a memorable gift.
Price for ten bobbins, post paid, with spangles fitted: only A$ 120.00
Eco-note - Woodchipping operations are currently threatening the natural forests of Tasmania, For more information and to help campaign against this, visit the Save our State campaign website. You can make a difference by sending protest emails from that site to Tasmanian and Australian government.
about some of the woods:
Huon pine - Dacrydium franklinii
A native endemic conifer, now recognised as the longest living tree (or organism) known. A specimen on the west coast is estimated to
be about 10,000 years old. It is a medium sized tree growing in rugged terrain in the south west. Its natural oils make it self-preserving,
fragrant, and ideal as a boat building timber, which has caused most of the easily accessible trees to be felled. Felling is strictly
controlled today. Used extensively by wood turners.
Celery-top pine Phyllocladus aspleniifolius
Mainly occurring in the west and south-west reaching 30 metres when mature. Grows in communities associated with myrtle, sassafras, leatherwood
and blackwood, and in mixed forests with peppermint gum, mountain ash, and swamp gum. The name derives from the overall shape of the
tree. The wood turns well, is stable and dense with little shrinkage and sought after for cabinet work and house building. First noted
by the French botanist Labillardiere, it is endemic to Tasmania.
King Billy pine Athrotaxis selaginoides
Medium to tall tree occuring in mountainous regions. The wood is light and strong, and has been used for furniture and musical instrument
soundboards. Endemic to Tasmania
Leatherwood - Eucryphia lucida
This species, endemic to Tasmania, is fairly common in the wetter regions of the state. It occurs mostly as a medium size tree (10-15 m), but may grow to 30m. Leatherwood is found in a variety of forest
types, in cool temperate rainforests often with myrtle beech, southern sassafras, and blackwood, and in the understorey of tall eucalypt
forest. Its profuse white flowers are famous as the source of one of the world's finest and most distinctive honeys.
Myrtle beech - Nothofagus cunninghamii
A tall tree (to 40m) found principally in temperate rainforests, in Tasmania and Victoria. It often forms pure stands with a manfern understorey.
The timber is a lovely brown to golden-pink which can contain, rarely, very striking figuring. Ideal for furniture making and high class
work, much of this lovely timber tree is sadly now felled to make woodchips for fibre board mills and for export. Myrtle regenerates
well from seed on fire damaged sites. Tiger myrtle is the name given to myrtle which has been coloured by
fungal growth, and this formis very rare and sought after. The colours in the wood can range fromdark browns to deep orange, with very striking
patterning and figure. One of Tasmania's most beautiful woods.
Southern sassafras - Atherospermum moschatum
Another tree of the cool rainforests, growing often where myrtle beech and Pittosporum are found. Sassafras is a small to medium tree (to
15m), and may have striking dark streaks in the centre of the tree, the rest being a creamy coloured wood. This is known as
Blackheart sassafras. It is used extensively for furniture making, woodturning,
wood crafts in general, and again is suffering at the hands of the woodchip producers. A lovely wood which turns well.
Musk - Olearia argophylla
Occurs in wetter forests with a low light intensity, and has broad smooth leaves which are green above and near-white underneath. Musk
wood is cream coloured to slightly greenish in hue, very straight grained and defect free.
Native Olive - Notolaea ligustrina
Another species that only occurs in the island state, this tree can grow to a large size in favourable conditions. Not a common tree,
its wood is a light dark nut-brown with dark streaks which can be very beautiful. The name derives from its similarities as a timber
to European olive, which has similar grain patterns and also a very similar fragrance when worked. Native olive is hard and dense and
ideal for woodturning and woodwind instruments.
She-Oak - Casuarina stricta
There are 50 or more species of casuarinas, mostly in Australia, and their wire-like leaves are very distinctive. As a wood, casuarina
is dense and very hard, and it also makes an excellent fuel (used as such especially in India and China) burning with little smoke and
much heat. C. stricta is common in Tasmania, in the bush and in gardens as a specimen tree or as a windbreak. The grain can be very beautiful
with quite a variation in colour from a pale yellow to reddish-brown tones.
Cheesewood - Pittosporum bicolor
A widespread species, occurring on the Australian mainland also, it is found in wet forests as an understorey tree. The leaves resemble
those of Leatherwood. The timber is a cream to almost pure white and is very dense and uniform in texture, turning well on the lathe. It
is cut in small quantities for woodturning, specialist veneers and inlay work, but is generally very difficult to obtain.
Tea Tree - Leptospermum spp.
The tea tree family is quite large, and many species occur. It favours damp places and often forms thickets with many small diameter stems.
The timber is a brown to dark brown, and can have figuring of dark striations, which is known as Blackheart tea-tree. It turns well and
is hard and dense and therefore useful for smaller items.
Banksia - Banksia marginata
Joseph Banks was one of the most famous figures in the history of science in the 19th century, principally for his botanical work on
classification of species. One of the first European scientists to visit Australia, the extensive genus Banksia carries his name. The
wood of Banksia marginata is cream coloured with small dark red flecks, making a beautiful grain.
Horizontal - Anodopetalum biglandosum
An endemic Tasmanian species of wetter and cooler areas, Horizontal (or Horizontal scrub) gains its name from its habit of forming thickets
of near horizontal stems, which can become like raised platforms of vegetation. The pale cream to white wood is immensely strong and resilient
and has remarkable bending properties. Only grows to small diameters.
Native Plum - Cenarrhenes nitida
Small endemic rainforest tree occurring on poor soils in the wetter regions of Tasmania, extending into the margin of the alpine zone.
Goldey wood - Monota glauca
Endemic Tasmanian small tree found widely in wet sclerophyll forests. The wood has subtle flecks of dark gold colour on a lighter background.
Acknowledgements
This information has been compiled using the following sources to which I am indebted:
Forest Trees of Australia, CSIRO publishing, Collingwood, Victoria, 1984 edition
Forest Trees of Tasmania, Forest Resources, Launceston Tasmania, 1979
L. Costermans, Native Trees and Shrubs of South-Eastern Australia,Rigby, Adelaide & London, 1981.
J. Somerville, Tasmanian Timber Trees, Education Dept of Tasmania,1981
If you are concerned to maintain the integrity of Australia's priceless and diminishing rainforest and world heritage areas, visit the Australian Wilderness Society website for information on how you can help to promote the sustainable use and preservation of these, our wonderful national treasures. To see magnificent photos of the Tasmanian wilderness, see Martin Hawes' website.
