Timber as an infinitely renewable resource...

Let's think about that for a minute. 

We often quote this passage from friend of Nullarbor Timber, Nick Dattner who articulated so beautifully the exponential benefits of timber.

“Imagine...

Imagine a material so technologically advanced that it is self generating, infinitely renewable, requires no attention, maintenance or capital investment, comes in thousands of varieties, has almost infinite uses and is produced in the world's largest factory whose pollution control is so effective that the only by-product is oxygen...

No it's not something from a science fiction....

Its wood."

The term "infinitely renewal resource" conjures up visions of a magic pudding of nature's endless, charitable bounty. Its easy to take for granted a self generating resource when it seems to constantly regenerate at no cost..

It would be wonderful to think that no matter how many times and how many industries step in to take a slice of the magic pudding for their own benefit, it will just magically and infinitely reappear and renew in the way it was designed to..

But for how long can it continue to do this? And and what cost when land clearing and logging industries are expecting to do what they want, where they want, for as long as they want to and have those resources magically reappear?

The truth is, trees and the eco system that supports it are not infinitely renewable. In the sage words of the American Indians whose people faced the same threat of instinction with the invasion of so called "progress" :

"Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money."

Our one piece timber tables can be made from wood that is is up to 600 years old and that would have otherwise been treated as waste. 

A dry, 600 year old piece of timber that has been wind felled can be salvaged from the junk heap and transformed into a piece of furniture that will last another few hundred if constructed and treated correctly by experts. We have been doing this for over 40 years. And can proudly state that we will continue to do this for another 40 if you let us.

But time is running short. Multinational co-opting and big brand consumerism is making furniture appear "magically" everywhere in factory shopping centres that encourage the quick sell with products that are irresponsibility produced, environmentally damaging and designed cheaply to fill in a short term gap in your home or office but to not last the distance.  

An article published by the ABC:  ‘This is a cowboy operation’ by national environment and science reporter Michael Slezak, Mark Doman and Loretta Florance confirmed:

“Victoria is the most cleared state of Australia, with 66 per cent of its native vegetation removed since 1788.”

“Now, despite an official investigation and a change to the law to stop it from happening in the future, the state-owned logging company has again issued plans that include areas outside its allocations.”

Professor Lindenmayer worries that for Victoria’s mountain ash trees, a ban on native logging will be too little, too late.

“The Government needs to intervene and actually bring this industry to a close much faster than 2030,” he says.

“Not only do they store very large amounts of carbon and support very important populations of biodiversity, but they’re also critical for the supply of water to the 5 million people in Melbourne.

“How we treat these forests over the next five to 10 years will make a huge difference to a whole range of critical ecosystems, from carbon storage to biodiversity conservation and water supply.”

At Nullarbor Sustainable Timber, we treat our job as timber suppliers and makers of tables very seriously. 

When we salvage and order sustainable timbers for our stock pile, we make sure our Red Gum, Jarrah, Messmate and Stringybark  doesn't add to the problem.

​We don't want to be just carbon neutral, we strive to be carbon-negative. 

We see it as a responsibility to create tables that aren't just beautiful, aesthetically but are creating discussion around responsibility and sustainability. 

It is simply not sustainable for large industries to keep ploughing into our resources as though they will renew infinitely. Its important for all suppliers of timber and all consumers of timber and timber products think about the long term impact of their practices and choices.
​

Choose wisely.

And take part in the design process yourself. Ask us to collaborate with you on your vision of your table or benchtop.

Allow us to share with you the historical details of the timber and the rich stories abundant within the piece.

Custom make a piece that is yours, that you can share with others to spark conversation about the importance of wiser consumer choices and environmental sustainability. 

RIVER RESIN TABLES
​Sustainable Beauty
Our River Resin Tables with white pearl resin or blue features add drama to your table and allow you to infuse colours with the rest of your interior.  ​

HISTORIC  COMPANY ORIGINS

AN AUSTRALIAN STORY

Nullarbor Timber is a family business that has been expertly creating timber products for over 40 years and been working in the timber industry for over 100 years.

The timber reclamation company was founded on the shoulders of ancestral Donchi timber woodsmen who had identified a shameful practice of waste and exploitation in forestry. Barry and Brendan Donchi set about creating more responsible, sustainable and future-facing practices within the industry.

READ MORE 

CONTACT US

​MELBOURNE WAREHOUSE :

​221 Kororoit Creek  Rd Williamstown, Vic 3016
(03) 9399 9300

MOAMA HQ : MILL & STOCKYARD: 

​92 Graham St Moama NSW ​2731
(03) 5480 0044

FROM TREE TO TABLE...

Live edge slabs are becoming ubiquitous in modern design.

Those wishing to make a major statement in a room are starting to recognise the high impact potential of raw timber slabs.

Coming directly from nature, our wind-felled slabs, once rescued from the elements and professionally dried have magnificent edges and speak of decades of natural growth. We recommend that they are be left raw and unrefined by traditional, straight-edge shaving methods. 

The statement you'II make is one of respect for nature and its organic lines. 

We take inspiration from George Katsutoshi Nakashima, the Japanese American wood worker, architect and furniture maker. As a key innovator and founding father of the American craft movement, Nakashima's body of work is revered in 20th century design and showed absolute respect for the beauty of timber's natural edges.

Choose a mighty slab to take with you to your own joiner/maker or ask us about our joinery services. 

Contact us to browse our endless range of slab options. 

MELBOURNE SHOWROOM
​Kororit Creek Road Williamstown, 3016
Ph: 93999300
MOAMA MILL:
7 Graham Street Moama, 2731
Ph: (03) 54800044
EMAIL [email protected]

We trawled the internet for inspiration for live edge slab design in the modern home.  The sky is the limit when it comes to raw timber as these spectacular designs from all over the world illustrate. 

Tables. The heart of any room. Ageless. Timeless. Functional. Omnipresent.

The table is the inanimate object around which life is decided upon, families congregate, feasts are demolished, business decisions committed to, news is read and conversations are had.

A table is the one item in any given room that commands the most attention and expects the least care. Which is why a hardwood table is the only choice.

Our recycled timbers tell stories. Sourced from demolished piers that have guarded dramatic ocean landscapes for decades or held together railways in far North Queensland, these timbers have seen things. Their deeply etched markings are windows to Australia's past life.. 

When design colludes with nature, the results are awe inspiring in this architectural showcase set atop Mount Franklin, near Daylesford, Victoria.

Constructed with a playful but harmonious variegation of geometrical shapes, with an emphasis on the circular (to match the surrounded rock scapes) and angular (to match the adjacent Alpine landscape), this Jellis Craig property has managed to quietly salute the natural environment whilst maintaining its grandeur. 

Sparce concrete interiors are given warmth with walnut tinged hardwood timbers from Nullarbor Sustainable Timber while reflective glass exteriors are softened with prismatic sunrises and sunsets.

An audacious mix of designer fittings, grey school brick feature walls and multi-toned timber cladding and decking are triumphantly orchestrated to keep the eye wandering and appeal flourishing throughout each room. 

We applaud the work of award winning designers Josh and Tik White of SCHWARTZWILLIAMS and their choice of eco-friendly materials in this immaculate mountaintop home.

- Jacqui Berthaume