2024 AustralAsian Region and International Conference

Conference attendees

The Australasian Region Annual General Meeting and the International Conference was held in Gellibrand, Victoria, Australia between 20^th and 26^th October 2024. The organizing committee of Ian & June Heffernan, John & Susie Lyons, Carl Lutz, Paul deFur, Linda Hussey and Harry & Esther Dennis did a magnificent job in preparing an interesting and educational itinerary.

Our first get together was a barbeque at the Otways Tourist Park on the Sunday evening where old acquaintances and friendships were renewed and new ones made. It was particularly pleasing to greet and welcome our members from overseas; ten from the United States and two from New Zealand.

The venue and surrounding districts which we visited gave us incredible insight into this rain forest area, parts of which receive 200cm of rain annually. The diversity and staggering proportions of the trees and the rich ecosystems left lasting impressions. The people who pioneered settlement in this area, clearing land for agriculture and for forestry, faced incredible hardship in remote steep gullies and high ridges. Stories of timber and then steel railways punched deep into the forest at great physical effort characterise so much of the early timber industry and now after many years the earth is claiming back the forest. Their efforts to live and work in this region were frequently devasted by incredibly destructive bushfires and yet the resilience of human endeavour is clear to see.

The dedicated organizing committee made numerous trips to the area to link us with these insights both past and present. Ian Heffernan and John Tillack were both born in this area which resulted in their sharing of insights from yesteryear. The connections that the committee made with the local community of Gellibrand made for an amazing meeting.

The Regional Trustee, John Tillack announced, that agreement had been reached with the web-master/secretary/treasurer (Eric Krum), on the establishment of an Australasian section on the Society’s website which will provide information on what is happening in the Region and will be fully accessible to members worldwide. Additionally, it was announced that Paul deFur had agreed to become the new Victorian State Representative – many thanks Paul.  Paul takes over from John Lyons who held this position for the past 5 years.  John is now the President of IWCS, he commenced his term 1 October 2024.

On a personal note, the conference could be considered a nostalgia tour for me as I was born in Colac, as was Ian Heffernan (one of the places we visited), lived in Carlisle River, Pennyroyal and Winchelsea until I was 12 years old, all within 20 kilometres of various places we visited.

Next on the agenda was a briefing on the history of the region by local historian, Norm Houghton, OAM. Norm was a font of knowledge recounting events from the late 1800’s to the present, all without the need to refer to notes.  His recall of how the timber was cut, transported, processed and moved out of the district was phenomenal. Names of individuals, companies and organizations were presented such that we had a solid understanding of the region’s history by the end of the session.  This was reinforced as Norm accompanied us on our tours for the next two days to fill in the gaps at the actual location of the events he described.

After lunch we headed off to the Lavers Hill Arboretum established by Alistair Watt and his wife Julie. The arboretum was originally eight acres but in the past couple of years has been downsized to three acres due to the upkeep required.  Many of the species planted by Alistair originated from South America. Alistair donated many pieces of timber for our upcoming auction.

This website has more detail on Alistair’s arboretum

We then headed to the Melba Gully Forest Walk to stroll through cool temperate rain forests. The headwaters of the Johanna River, it is known as the Jewel of the Otways, Melba Gully is one of the wettest places in the state. The gully has prolific plant growth and is a dense rainforest of Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) and tree-ferns, with an understorey of low ferns and mosses.

At Crowes nearby, the buffer at the end of the narrow-gauge railway line has been restored as a reminder of the conditions faced by the early European settlers.

Tuesday, 22 October 2024 – by David Munzberg

Our day began with the 8.30 am punctual departure of the bus headed for Apollo Bay. Along with Norman Houghton, local retired forester, Geoff Beilby was also with us for the day, providing historic background and expert tree identification. Participants had the choice to check out the shops and points of interest in the main street or visit a private sawmill just out of town. Here Steve Telford, better known locally as Red, gave us an insight into the sawmill that he set up. This especially engaged members who are involved in milling and his conversational approach made for an interesting visit.

On return to Apollo Bay and as for each day we toured, we enjoyed very tasty sandwiches, wraps and fruit and then proceeded to an excellent example of the cool temperate rainforest of the Otways, Mait’s Rest.

A small parcel of land was set aside from logging in 1914 by the then region’s first forestry officer Maitland Bryan. It became known as Mait’s Rest where he would rest his horse as he went about his work. This reserve is a perfect example of a cool-temperate rainforest ecosystem with a walking trail revealing hundreds of tree ferns and ancient plants stemming from the Gondwana era of 550 million years ago.

The large trees feature Eucalyptus regnans (Mountain Ash) which are the tallest flowering plant in the world reaching just over 100 metres high. The size of these remnant trees is overwhelming. The Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii) here grew back in the era of Gondwana land which connected the Australian, South American, New Zealand and Antarctica land masses. Fossil records from Antarctica indicate the past growth of these trees.

Our next stop was at the trial plantation of Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) planted in 1936 to explore suitability for timber production. The growth of these trees after almost 90 years is amazing. Requiring high rainfall and misty conditions this plot seems to have done well reaching a height of 60 m and likely to grow much higher. It is awe inspiring to stand among these perfectly erect giants.

After enjoying the serene majesty of the redwoods, we again boarded the bus for Beech Forest, where members of the Otway Districts Historical Society hosted a visit to their displays, including a working model of a classic early sawmill. Local identity Andrew Zappelli and wife Jackie organized a wonderful, surprise afternoon tea, supplied by locals for us to enjoy, while Norman Houghton gave us a rundown of the history of this area.

Wednesday, 23 October 2024 – by Jim Schubert

We again left by bus at 8.30am – this time from by the Tourist Park Office, travelling north through the large town of Colac, then heading toward Bambra in perfect weather.

The bus finally arrived at the Agroforestry farm of Rowan Reid. He was well set up with microphone and an efficient speaker, together with his vehicle to transport those unable to walk around the farm.

After an introduction, we moved to his sawmill – a large water-cooled horizontal bandsaw (less wood wastage than with a circular saw). Rowan explained how he quarter saws his logs to reduce shrinkage and distortion in the wood.

He also explained his tree growing methods to allow fast straight growth without close planting of trees. One main feature is the insistence of pruning each tree every year to encourage straight, knot free quality timber growth with very little sapwood.

His solar drying kiln uses a fully controlled cyclic drying method with fans to circulate, expel or introduce air, depending on humidity and temperature.

He has planted a wide variety of timber trees, some very fast and some very slow growing. The trees can mature at different times, ensuring that there is always a variety of ages and sizes of trees. Individual trees can be replaced as they are used for timber, without denuding the forest, which is both aesthetic and practical. Rowan’s book ‘Heartwood’ was eagerly sought after at the end of our visit. This book comprehensively covers the decades of his activity in agroforestry.

Some of the species include Casuarinas, Eucalypts, Banksia, Red Cedar, Blackwood, Silky Oak, American Walnut & Oak, Californian Redwood, and Radiata Pine.

He did say that although he encourages other farmers to try similar ideas, his forestry system is not suitable for large commercial enterprises.

Then back to Colac for a picnic lunch at the Colac Botanic Gardens. After lunch some of the group toured the gardens, while the ‘wood nuts’ went to AKD Integrated Forestry & Softwood Timber Processing – perhaps as a fitting contrast to the morning visit.

A huge organization, processing 1500-5000 Radiata Pine logs per day, with the initial break-down saw cutting wood at 120m/min. We were shown around the plant on an elevated walkway, with conveyers & rollers continually moving the planks from place to place. Because of the noise, it was difficult to hear our guide’s description, but just watching it was interesting enough. To me, the first and last sight I saw at the factory was a B-double truck, fully laden with processed pine leaving the plant for delivery.

From there, we picked up those who had toured the gardens, and we all went to a furniture factory – Carl Karacsay Furnishings.

We first admired the large, well-equipped workshop (where Carl generally works by himself) and then to his showroom where a variety of beautiful pieces of furniture were on display. He uses mainly Australian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) for his work and it shows the beautiful variations in colour, grain patterns & lustre. He also showed a picture of his gum-leaf shaped house he built for himself.

His work was impressive enough for at least one of our members to arrange purchase of a piece, and make the six hour round trip to pick it up the following week.

The end of the day was approaching, so we went to Babil Oddfellows Restaurant in Colac for dinner. Due to the size of our group, most were accommodated in an outside enclosed pergola, which was a little cool & breezy until the heaters were turned on. Because of the numbers, there was some wait for the food, but I am pretty sure that in the end no one went away hungry!

Thursday, 24 October 2024 – by Carol Goddard and Peter Ball

Thursday of Conference Week dawned with low clouds scudding from the southwest, bringing rain showers to Gellibrand.  Our first wet day of the week, but typical Otway weather.  Perfect for a day indoors and the much-anticipated auction.

Adding to the sense of occasion, we had several guests in the audience, including Carl Karacsay from Karacsay Furnishings in Colac, James Kidman from Otway Tonewoods and Alistair and Julie Watt from Lavers Hill Arboretum.

Auctioneer, David Munzberg, had briefed us that the auction would be FAST, FAIR and FUN, and he, and co-auctioneer, John Lyons, did a fantastic job of making it so.

Taking their seats at 8:30am sharp, the audience settled to focus on the proceedings.  The first task was for each participant to autograph the back of their paddle, adding to the list of names who had used that paddle to bid in auctions past.  What a great tradition to uphold.

The strong interest that had built in the preceding days created a palpable air of excitement as the auction began.  Some nerves were evident early on:

Is that a bid?  No, he’s just scratching his ear.

Maintaining concentration was critical as the pace picked up:

Knock-out and Killer bids were employed to secure coveted items.

Nineteen to eighteen for twenty-two!

meant

Item #19 was sold to paddle #18 for $22.00!

Scintillating repartee held our attention:

Eugene is bidding for #79.  He wants his timber back!

For this?!  …….  You’re crazy!

Just sell it!

It looks like this prized piece of Australiana is heading overseas.  Come on, you Aussies, you can’t let that happen!

Classic terms showed the auctioneers’ professionalism:

Are you all done?  Are you all silent?  …….  Oh, we have a new bidder!

I’m the one who says the price!

Elizabeth is going to kill you …..or me ….. or both of us!

Exceptional winning bids were rewarded with bonus gifts that were bestowed at the discretion of the auctioneers.  The beautifully turned weed pot gifts were much appreciated by winners.

A brief power failure that cut the lights for a while in the late morning did not interrupt John Lyons:

I can still see you!  Don’t worry about that.

The US visitors found themselves on the horns of a dilemma.  The favourable US$/AU$ Forex rate meant they could bid strongly, but baggage limitations meant they had to be very selective.

A particular highlight was the result for item #174 – the 142cm square quilt Wattle Brush, hand-made by Jan Munzberg.  A sealed offer of $600 that had been emailed in advance was revealed as the winning bid.

Lunch was another sumptuous affair of sandwiches and cake with hot tea and coffee arranged by Linda and Paul and their team of helpers.  During the break, the hall was buzzing with enquiries, explanations and conversations as more visitors began to arrive for the demonstrations that were to follow.

 A chop saw was set up outside to cut down long items into more manageable lengths for transportation.  The Waddi wood (Acacia peuce) logs proved to be the most difficult, with the saw blade having to be cooled with water to complete the cuts.

Following lunch, the auction resumed, but the extraordinary number of donated items meant that even the wiles of our two auctioneers could not get through the list in the time allotted.  Accordingly, the auction was temporarily suspended so the public could access the sessions that had been scheduled for the afternoon.

During this part of the day, Gellibrand locals and other visitors from further afield were able to browse around the displays and speak with IWCS members.  Exhibits included microscopy by John Lyons, carving by Carl Lutz, and wood turning by Harry Dennis, as well as displays of hand-made wooden items, books and IWCS publications, charts and posters, and plenty of Australian wood specimen panels.

The proceedings drew to a close in the late afternoon with the last of the listed items being auctioned and the results of the silent auction being announced.

The day was an outstanding success thanks to:

• All who brought along the wood specimens, unusual samples and crafted items to present for sale,
• Our intrepid auctioneers, David and John, who maintained a FAST pace all day to ensure we had FUN and delivered a very FAIR result of over $10,000.
• Susie (celebrating her birthday!) and Judith who kept impeccable records of every auctioned item,
• John Tillack who designed and compiled the comprehensive spreadsheet that was ideal for the task,
• The auctioneers’ assistants, Bill, Carl, Peter and Val, who presented everything in sequence,
• And the enthusiastic bidders who raised their paddles without hesitating.

Friday, 25 October 2024 – by Ian Heffernan

Friday morning dawned foggy and spitting rain. However, the forecast was for good weather and once again our luck was in. Our bus driver Gary Doyle picked us up and transported us back up onto “The Ridge”, then down Phillips Track to the Triplet falls car park. Surrounded by dense forest, it is hard to believe that 100 years ago this was the site of one of the Otways biggest and most productive saw milling enterprises known as Knots No.1 Mill.

We split into 2 groups. As the good quality path includes some steep slopes with steps, walking platforms and undulating pathways, those with mobility limitations only walked the relatively flat section of track to the Knots mill site, then returned. The other, more sprightly members walked the full loop. Both excursions enjoyed the forest environment with large trees, copious amounts of tree ferns and the sounds of many birds flitting through the foliage.

This beautiful loop walk normally takes about an hour to traverse, however we of the IWCS always take longer as we admire the trees, debating their genus and species and the distinguishing features that help identify them. Significant trees viewed were Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii) and Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon).

Of course, there were plentiful understory trees such as the locally endemic Satin Box (Nematolepsis squamea).

Also prolific are many species of ferns, including the tall ones such as the Rough Tree Fern (Cyathea australis) and Man Fern (Dicksonia antarctica).

The track winds through wonderful scenery until we reached the lower end of the beautiful Triplet Falls. Unfortunately, the lower viewing platform is somewhat obscured by scrub. However, the middle and upper platforms provide great views of the split triple cascades. The path beside the falls is quite steep with stairs and an effective hand rail to assist navigation. A quick glance at the time revealed we were well behind time, so after catching our breath and taking lots of pictures at the falls, we pressed on at pace up the hill.

Back on the top level is the site of Knotts No 1 mill with relics of the mill including a boiler and a log cart stacked with timber, beside the trail. There is also evidence of the old tramways that were used to transport logs to, and sawn timber from the mill to the train siding at Ferguson nearby.

Those who did the short walk enjoyed a pleasant cup of tea and snack beside the bus. When the others arrived, it was a quick pack up, then back on the bus and off to the Otway Fly, a short distance up Phillips Track.

The Otway Fly is an elevated platform walk among the treetops. The tree species here are the same as the Triplet Falls area. One of our members commented it was nice to be looking down on some of the trees instead of looking up. The 600 long platform reaches 25metres high above ground level, with a spiral tower reaching 45 metres high to be among the flowering heads of the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans). There is also cantilever high over Young’s creek which sways as you walk along to the end.

At the end of the main walkway there is an option to descend to the forest floor and walk back up to the start of the walk. Often, at the right time of the year, significant fungi growth of many species can be observed growing from the trees and decaying plant matter. For the mobility challenged, there was a cart available to transport passengers to and from the main building on request. We all had lunch at the Otway Fly Café.

After a pleasant lunch we travelled a short distance along the ridge to Otway Tonewoods at Weeaproinah. Our newest member James Kidman greeted at this workshop, nursery, kiln and storage shed complex, where, after brief introductions, we retired to a temporary projection area James had set up at the rear of his shed. Surrounded by large stacks of high-quality timber, he gave us a detailed story of how his father developed this very specialized business which evolved from furniture making in the late 1970’s to sourcing and supplying timber for luthiers since 1985. The often beautifully figured woods, blackwood and satinwood in particular, are specially selected for their tonal properties. James demonstrated how to hold the thin planks of wood to test its resonance. Highly figured blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) is very popular. The timber is sustainably harvested using no heavy machinery and carried out of the bush manually to minimise disturbance. They had a special license to access trees in certain areas of native forest. Unfortunately, this license was withdrawn very recently by the Victorian Government. The process is no tree is cut without the necessary special permit and only harvested where the impact on the rest of the bush is minimal. All the details of their background, operations and business are available on their excellent website.

After the presentation several examples of the wood ready for sale were passed round. James then showed us around his facility. He demonstrated cutting boards from a piece of Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) on his industrial bandsaw. The quality and finish of the cut was amazing. We checked out his home-made kiln, dying is a problem in the very damp climate (average 2100mm per year) and his small experimental nursery

After a very interesting visit, we again boarded the bus and headed back to Gellibrand with James following behind on his small motorbike, as he was joining us for the rest of the day. The bus parked opposite the Tourist Park to let members interested in a visit to Toby’s mill to get off the bus. We were greeted by relatively new owner of the property and the mill Tony Carlon and a few interested locals. Tony has never run the old mill, instead uses a modern portable mill to cut his timber. His wife Carla runs a local Dahlia farm from their property.

The mill was originally set up by Toby Armistead in 1946 and operated continually until 1982. It is a typical design of the times and is still capable of operating. Local Gellibrand man Andrew Daffy was with us and had worked in the mill as a youngster. He was able to describe in detail how the mill operated and told us a number of stories of his experiences during his time working there.

After an interesting hour we thanked Tony for his hospitality and Andrew his interesting stories. For those that are interested there is an interview on YouTube where Toby’s son Arthur and brother-in-law Robert Jacobson talk about working in the mill.

The evening meal was a carvery at the Bistro which was another success. We invited a number of special locals to join us for dinner. They were as follows:

David and Trish Jukes who were the main drivers getting us to use Gellibrand as our location, and generously provided invaluable support for us throughout the whole planning process.

Dotta Koorn, the local human dynamo, who owns the Tourist Park and runs the Gellibrand Hotel. We relied very heavily on Dotta for our accommodation and meals, a task she and her staff performed magnificently. Also thanked park manager Monica and partner Dave for their work on the meals, and our accommodation has been great.

Andrew (Jock) McLennan, who provided us with a Ute load of local woods at a days’ notice and copious advice during our planning process.

Gary Doyle, our bus driver. What a great bloke and super driver, just the sort of person we needed for our daily transport. Nothing was ever too much trouble and always on time, a joy to deal with.

Kyla Beale the Gellibrand Community House Coordinator was invited but unable to attend. Kyla provided her generous support regarding the hall facilities, and advertising our activities to locals, including articles in the weekly Otway Light magazine.

All these special guests were presented with gifts and words of heartfelt appreciation. We also acknowledged the members of the organizing committee, the auctioneers and their very able and hard-working assistants, Val Heffernan for her fresh baked scones, and the many others who chipped in where needed, particularly during the set up and pack up of the hall.

Saturday, 26 October 2024 – by Ian Heffernan

Saturday was another fine sunny day. 18 members booked on the optional extra outing to the Geelong botanic gardens 110km east of Gellibrand. Of course, the passengers on the airport bus really had no choice, however these gardens are well worth the visit.

We gathered at the main gate at 10.30am where we were met by our two lovely guides Cherry and Liz from the Friends of the Geelong Botanic gardens group. We had requested the theme be on trees and that is what we got, botanical names and all. Both ladies really enjoyed providing us with the information using botanical names as this is unusual for their normal tours. The time of an hour and half is far too short to take in the range and diversity of these magnificent gardens. However, we were shown a great range interesting and exotic trees from around the world, many 100+ years old. They also have an area dedicated to Alistair Watt.

After the tour most of us elected to enjoy a pleasant and relaxing coffee and light lunch at the garden’s café, located strategically in the middle of the gardens. We then said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, either heading home or on further extended travels.

For more information on The Geelong Botanic Gardens please refer to their website:

A decal was presented to the attending members.