Types of wood available in Australia

[Esmae]

Has anyone got any suggestions on the best timbers available in Australia (for different applications)
Here's what i've found:

Cypress Pine: Carves well but leaves fluffy bits on grain ends

Meranti: just garbage, all stringy and fluffy

Merbau or Kwila: very hard but leaves no crap anywhere. a light sand and it comes up beautifully. but it's too dark to show any detail

MDF: yuk. i'm a bit scared about breathing that stuff in (no i haven't setup extraction yet) but it carves well. bit fluffy at times.

Hoop pine: good all rounder but hard to get without a finger joint every 600mm.

American Oak: Awesome stuff. just seems to have the right consistency. But the variance in grain (straight light and dark) causes problems when trying to show off any 3d carving. Also i don't know how easy it is to get.

Yellow Balau: IT'S YELLOW But carves nicely

I've also got a nice piece of New Guinea rosewood there to try as well as some spotted gum.

We have a guy here in Toowoomba that stocks specialty timber but most of it is undressed so i don't bother with it.

I'd love to hear from some more Aussies with suggestions.

Cheers Scott

[Al_The_Man]

I remember some time ago we used to get Tasmanian Oak in the UK, I understood that came from down under?
Al.

[Greolt]

Al

Tassie Oak as we call it is just a marketing name for a variety of Australian southern hard woods.

About half a dozen different species.

Greg

EDIT: Just did a search and evidently it is only three species. Not half dozen as I said.

Eucalyptus delegatensis, Eucalyptus obliqua and Eucalyptus regnans

[Esmae]

Tasmania, is that part of Australia?
Does anyone know what the tassie oak is like to machine?
Only joking tassie. we love ya up here on the big island

[Splint]

There is a wood which is used by pattern shops, the name escapes me but I'm pretty sure it is a manufactured wood as it has no grain and is very machinable. Call your local pattern shop and ask what they use, they might sell some to you.
There is also Chemical Wood which is different from the first wood I'm thinking of, it is mentioned in this page http://mokei-jouki.hp.infoseek.co.jp/C53_200605e.htm but I have also seen desktop routers machining it and it turns out very nicely.

Splint

[Esmae]

OK it looks to me as though the New guinea rosewood is the best all rounder. and it looks a treat. I'll be setting up extraction next week as i'm getting a bit scared about all this airborne dust. i'm coughing alot and have heard a few stories about emphysema and cancers from breathing that crap in. Apparently western red cedar is the absolute worst. Scary stuff

[Al_The_Man]

I should see if I can dig up the photo of the MDF tree

I guess you guys get the 'Imitation Mahogany' like we do from the philipines.
In N. America it is prevalent and is not even a type of Mahogany.
Nothing like the real stuff. Honduras is IIRC.
Al.