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Camphor Laurel Kitchen Boards The Best.

Posted on July 26, 2012

 Many of us are aware that Camphor Laurel is considered an ecological pest but it has a good side too - it makes excellent boards for use in the kitchen or for any applications to do with food because of its unique combination of bacteria destroying oils.


Camphor Laurel was introduced to Australia in the early 1800's as an ornamental shade tree and many large old specimens can still be seen in parks and reserves throughout Australia but particularly in the Eastern states. Another species of Camphor Laurel was introduced in the mid 1800's and the hybrid cross that resulted is the rather straggly and thin, invasive tree that is rampant in Northern NSW and Queensland. Camphor Laurel invades habitats where land has been cleared, has a strong competitive advantage over native vegetation and is toxic to many native fauna. As a result it has been declared a noxious weed in many parts of NSW and Queensland by the departments of Primary Industry.

Well that's the bad news but the good news is that Camphor Laurel, because of its pungent chemical compounds is a very good timber to utilize for anything to do with food preparation because these compounds are anti-microbial and remain working in the timber for its lifetime.
When tested against other surfaces such as glass or plastic and other woods, Camphor Laurel harbours minimal fungi and bacteria compared to plastic or glass and also scored better on these counts than other timbers.

The Camphor Laurel used in our boards has been sourced through active involvement in the various eradication programs where the Camphor Laurels are removed to make way for native regeneration. The timber used in our boards has been kiln dried to below 10% moisture content which ensures that they will never warp or crack and that is something we guarantee absolutely. 

Lastly, our Camphor Laurel boards come in many sizes and shapes that will suit every kitchen job and because they are also beautiful they make superb serving boards for fruit, cheese, bread, antipasto or whatever you have in mind. Think Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals where he serves everything on big wooden boards and creates a casual, rustic, friendly dinner table because there is something homely and warm about wooden boards. They are an asset to any kitchen and in the case of Camphor Laurel boards, an asset to the environment.

Australian Woodwork: 100% Australian Made

Posted on December 28, 2011

Australian Woodwork has become a certified retail supporter of the 'Australian Made, Australian Grown' campaign and we are flying our colours with pride. The Australian Made logo certification trademark was created by the Australian Government in 1986 to promote Australian made products in local and export markets and in 2002 a public, not for profit company was established with a renamed logo, 'Australian Made, Australian Grown'. Its aim was to establish consumer information and country of origin labelling standards and to raise the domestic and international profile of goods that are produced in Australia. To become a Retail Supporter you must support these goals and derive 50% of sales from Australian made or grown goods ! Well we are very proud to make the claim that ALL OUR PRODUCTS ARE AUSTRALIAN MADE so we are way ahead of the pack. After a very thorough application process, supplying proof of our bona fides and making Statutory declarations, we ordered our flag and fly it every day with pride, knowing that the skill of the workmanship, the beauty of the timbers and the quality of design are all of the highest standard and ALL AUSTRALIAN.


The reasons we wanted to certify our business are twofold: Firstly, if you call yourself 'Australian Woodwork' then you want to be able to back it up with something more than assurances - it is not a simple matter to become certified and it does mean something to have that logo. Secondly, we have become aware that people are finding it increasingly hard to find quality Australian Made products that are not either footwear or kitsch, Australiana souvenirs, and that the readily identifiable logo lets people know immediately that they are looking at the good stuff - good quality, good design, good wood. Customers, when they have needed a special gift for international guests or relatives have been so relieved and thankful to find us that we have almost felt like good Samaritans until the doing of some menial task brings us back down to earth. Over the coming year we will be working with the Australian Made Australian Grown people to support the goals and ethos of the campaign and hope that many of the people out there searching vainly for that Australian made gift will find us as a result.

To all our customers the very best wishes for 2012,

The team at Australian Woodwork