The Pen Makers Boat: #584 Now Sold

Huon Pine and Chrome Ballpoint Twist Pen

HUON PINE - Lagarostrobos franklinii

It is truly an ancient species - members of the same plant family (Podocarpaceae) existed more than 200 million years ago. In Tasmania, the oldest recorded fossils of leafy Lagarostrobos twigs are more than 2.6 million years old.

Huon pines vary in size from shrubs less than 2 metres high to trees more than 30 metres tall. They grow very slowly, taking about 500 years to reach maturity, and some trees have been known to be more than 3000 years old.

In western Tasmania, Huon pine grows in rainforests along riverbanks; it also occurs in swampy flats or lake edges in the state's southern and central regions.

It thrives in cool, wet conditions, and is very susceptible to fire. Seed is produced in female cones, with male cones usually growing on separate trees.

Huon pine can also reproduce by 'layering', where low-hanging branches touching the soil produce new roots, while still attached to the parent plant.

Genetic testing of a stand of male trees on Mount Read on the West Coast has shown that they have been regenerating in this way for more than 10,000 years (although none of the current trees are more than 1500 years old).

Huon pine timber has a high oil content and is extremely durable. Early settlers valued it, particularly in the boat-building industry.

Its easy accessibility on West Coast rivers was one of the primary reasons for the establishment of the penal settlement at Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour, in the 1820s.

Curiously, early settlers had been milling Huon pine for decades before the species was given its formal name, Lagarostrobos franklinii, honouring Sir John Franklin, Lieutenant Governor of Tasmania from 1836-1843.

Today, Huon pine is a highly valued timber used in small quantities for furniture making as well as boat building.

Pen #584 was turned on 25th June 2016 at Chester

Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival (FAB) is always a busy weekend. This was the third time we had visited, once as a visitor and once as a trading boat selling pens. This time our plan of action was to hit a better compromise between the business elements and having a bit of fun with some of our friends and watching some of the evening music acts.

We think we got it just about right this time. Whilst we were talking to thousands of music lovers using the towpath as a highway through to the different venues there were music, artistic and dance displays throughout the town.

We all decided to open the floating market of boats all day Friday as well as the weekend as the weather was looking unsettled, particularly on Sunday. As usual the forecasts weren’t far out and we had a dry day Friday, and warm and sunny for the most of Saturday and early Sunday until the storms that were promised arrived early afternoon Sunday. It was a blessing in disguise as we were able to close up a bit earlier and have a couple of hours relaxation time before heading out to the pubs and some great impromptu folk music from some very talented amateur musicians.

Leaving Middlewich FAB is always thought provoking, on the one hand we were saying goodbye to some of our friends that we wouldn’t be seeing for a long time but on the other we were heading out across beautiful countryside in the direction of Chester City - one of our favourites for our next event a floating market below the ancient city walls.