Thread: Salmon Gum

Nice bowl
Thanks for sharing

Log Dog

The timber looks well finished and very rich.

Salmon gum has interested me since using it for firewood and noting the wonderful colour of the timber. This was 1973/4 when I was involved with putting a new railway track (wider) from Kalgoorlie through to Esperance. The joining of the line ceremony was in Salmon Gums, October 74 from memory.

Fiercely cold in winter, boiling hot in summer.

By the way, very nice bowl.

Mick.

Originally Posted by Optimark

Salmon gum has interested me since using it for firewood and noting the wonderful colour of the timber. This was 1973/4 when I was involved with putting a new railway track (wider) from Kalgoorlie through to Esperance. The joining of the line ceremony was in Salmon Gums, October 74 from memory.

Fiercely cold in winter, boiling hot in summer.

By the way, very nice bowl.

Mick.

Yes, Salmon Gums and Norseman both experience colder temperatures in winter than we do here in Kalgoorlie. Summer heat is about the same. The salmon gum trees are prolific throughout the goldfields - we have very large ones on the verge down our side of the street - two in front of our place. One thing you learn about them is to never park your car under them when there is strong wind / stormy weather about as they are known for dropping some pretty big branches. Unfortunately the trees planted in town by the council are not deep rooted, and they frequently blow over in storms bringing down power lines and crushing any cars parked near them (and occasionally houses). Very popular for firewood, and surprisingly few people around here know about the qualities of the timber for small boxes, wood turning etc.

Another one I turned a while back which I have always liked because of the grain pattern.

8 IMG_3070Signed.jpg

That last one has a nice pattern in the timber, stunning may be a better description.

I didn't know about the temperature difference, I was located about 2-4km north of Norseman on the pipe side of the road in a railway camp. We started out driving in a bus north towards about 20 km south of Kalgoorlie, and working our way down to Salmon Gums. The bus had an old Perkins motor that was well past its use by date when we started. Near the end of the railway line replacement/widening we used to go through a 20 litre drum of engine oil every two days as it was about 180kms a day by then in a completely knackered bus.

One of us would remove the engine cowl in the cabin, others would open the rear safety window to allow for a flow through ventilation effect as usually two of us poured engine oil straight into the rocker box cover as we were merrily driving along with an airstream of oil mist flowing from the front and out the rear window; we had it down to a fine art.

On the Monday morning of the Queens birthday long weekend of 1977, I left Norseman around 0530 hrs, it was -7ºC and my motorcycle took a very long time to warm up. 12 hours and 10 minutes later I pulled into the caravan park on the eastern side of Ceduna which was then owned by Clem Foster who was a very well known motorcycle racer from SA in the 30's and after WWII. I think the caravan park is still there, coming from the east I seem to remember you crossed the railway line, then the caravan park was on the left, or south side of the road.

Mick.

great save, great wood