Brigalow

By Geoff Holloway

Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) is a medium sized tree to 25 metres, grows in the brigalow belt from northern NSW to north Queensland including inland and coastal areas.

A long lived slow growing acacia, heavily logged early in the 20^th Century for building materials (readily split into slabs), locally there are still stands of Brigalow on the slopes around Rosewood, easily identifiable because of the silvery top canopies of sickle shaped leaves and deep fissured dark bark which helps it to survive bushfires.

The wood is dense, dark reddish-brown heartwood (1025kg/m3) with a thin yellow sapwood, used in mining, construction, furniture, walking sticks, fishing rods and turning although hard on tools it finishes well and takes a high polish. The Aboriginal used the wood for spears, boomerangs and nulla nullas.