It's difficult in words to do justice to this timber. Much maligned and devalued, Red Gum has nevertheless won a place in our hearts.

We imagine their majestic trunks adorning the Murray River or we feel that Banjo Paterson's famed characters must have camped regularly under the shade of a Red Gum. Certainly the early drovers did as Red Gums were often the only species to be found in drought stricken areas. Here unfortunately, the romance stops because we assigned most of our Red Gums to the fate of railway sleepers and tramway blocks. Entire forests of Red Gum are driven over every day - trampled until they find their way into our gardens as retaining walls - perhaps a less ignominious fate than firewood. Speaking of which, Red Gum makes the ultimate firewood.

So what is so alluring about this timber? You only need to polish a piece to get the answer. Before your eyes is revealed a deep, lustrous red with intertwined grain.

Why then, with credentials like this, haven't we made furniture for kings from this wood? Never mind, Red Gum's time has come but not without much sweating and groaning as it is one of the hardest timbers to dry. Little by little though, supplies are becoming available as one-time railway sleeper cutters decide trains can run on concrete sleepers! Let us now elevate this timber to the status it deserves.