Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers

Australian wood

One of our ringers here in Perth, who is an engineer, did some research into a suitable native timber to use as a substitute for air-seasoned ash, which is the traditional timber used for stays in the UK. He came up with Tasmanian oak as having the nearest physical characteristics to ash.

Tasmanian oak is the name used for three almost identical species of eucalypt hardwoods, eucalyptus delegatensis (alpine ash), eucalyptus regnans (mountain ash) and eucalyptus obliqua (messmate), all of which are normally marketed collectively. The timber has a long-grain structure similar to ash and as a result has, like its English equivalent, a very good tensile strength.

Tasmanian oak has been in use as a stay material in Western Australia for at least 20 years and has proved itself to be a very good substitute for ash. Its one drawback is that not all timber merchants stock it, but we have found that the timber merchants who specialise in native timbers can easily supply it.

Richard Offen
ANZAB Towers and Bells Advisory Panel Coordinator