Best firewoods by location

[Hefty]

I'm on the final few weeks of a half lap with the family and I've been learning a bit about what trees make the best firewood from different regions when traveling so I thought I'd start this thread for people to add their knowledge to.

For example, I learned how excellent Mulga is as firewood,  especially for good, hot, long lasting coals for cooking with. It grows throughout the arid zone so it's readily available in the Territory, SA western Queensland western NSW and, I presume, the eastern side of WA. I was taught how to identify it by a really helpful ranger from Alice Springs Desert park, named Damien. His best, and worst,  advice was to collect it from standing dead trees, not from the ground as it will absorb moisture if it sits too long on the ground. The 'worst' part is that you need a sharp, heavy axe or a chainsaw with about 6 spare chains to collect bigger,  thicker pieces.  It's rock hard stuff!

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[oldmate]

Good thread. I'll be following. Nothing like a good wood!

[scrapsD40]

Good thread. I'll be following. Nothing like a good wood!

Soft wood doesn't seem to last as long and the afterglow diminishes way too quickly.

[GBC]

You forgot to mention wearing gloves for the mulga - it doesn't give anything up easy hey. You have found the best firewood you are going to find though imho. Amazing how little of it you need.

[UIZ733]

Soft wood doesn't seem to last as long and the afterglow diminishes way too quickly.

Agreed. Can be the source of great all-round disappointment.

[Hefty]

Another good one is Mallee. Obviously available in the Mallee region of SE SA and W Vic but it does grow further north in SA as well. Also rock hard,  my father once broke an axe head on a mallee stump when he lived down that way! It's a small eucalypt with multiple trunks growing from one ground point.

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[Hefty]

Soft wood doesn't seem to last as long and the afterglow diminishes way too quickly.

You got that right!  We had a fire at Kings Canyon that was all mulga. Went to bed about 10pm. At 7:30 am i dragged a twig across the seemingly dead ash and uncovered a dinner plate sized bed of still solid, glowing coals and had a fire burning again 30 seconds later!

Edit: spelling

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[duggie]

Up in Queensland it is hard to find fire wood better than the Iron Bark tree, but Red Stringy and Box Wood are great also