Botanical name: Tristania conferta

Distribution: Indigenous to the fringes of rainforests from Central New South Wales to Northern Queensland. A large hardwood that can attain 40m (132ft) and diameters of up to 2m (6ft).

Colour: The heartwood varies from light to medium pinkish-brown through to a rich reddish brown.

The timber: The grain is usually interlocked to varying degrees. Texture is fine and even. There may be some evidence of silica in the timber.

Mechanical properties: Yallata is moderately durable but very wear resistant and has good resistance to splintering. Kiln dry density averages 850kg/m³ (53lb/ft³).

Working properties: The timber is hard and of high density and will blunt tools edges quickly. Planer angles need to be reduced to overcome high cutting resistance. Pre drilling is recommended if nailing or screwing. Its natural waxiness can cause occasional adhesion problems when gluing and must be taken into account when finishing. Yallata contains about 5-10% by weight of a natural wax called arjunolic acid. The timber is not suitable for steam bending. Yallata will take a high polish.

Uses: Yallata is principally used as a flooring and cladding timber. It has been used in dry areas as a decking and walkway timber.

Availability: Plentiful.